Sonadow: Blue Boon Black Adder
by shinyumbreon2
Summary: For sixty years the kingdoms of Oltega and Delphuis have fought, and finally, Delphuis has come out victorious. As stated by the pact, Oltega must give up their eldest child to marry Delphuis'. But this time, there's a twist: both of the eldest children are male! And neither Sonic nor Shadow are too happy about it. Will it work out, or will they end up as the shortest lived couple?
1. Chapter 1: The Surprise

Sonic the Hedgehog stared at his reflection. A frowning hedgehog wearing a cobalt blue jacket with a long white-sleeved shirt underneath, cobalt blue pants, and black shoes stared back at him. Sonic reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his crown. He placed it on his head and growled. The gold crown didn't suit him. He tried tipping it sideways, but that just made it look even more stupid than before. He sighed in frustration. "Of all the..." he grumbled. "Why a prince? Why couldn't I be born a commoner?" He sighed again. "Well it's not like things can get worse- oh wait." He slammed his crown back onto the nightstand. His ears perked when he heard the door open.

"Sonic dear, are you all right?" his mother, Queen Aleena, asked.

"Yeah," Sonic lied.

His mother sighed and walked over to him, joining the reflection. "I know it's hard, dear," she comforted as she stroked his quills.

The prince let off a small smile. At least the petting felt nice. But it still couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling in his heart. "I just hate the idea of being a lamb, an...offering."

"I know, Sonic," Aleena said. "But at least you have Tails and Knuckles, right?"

Sonic chuckled, smiling a bit bigger. "Yes," he replied.

"That's my prince," the queen stated with a loving smiling. "Now, I know you hate the crown, but please put it on. We will be wanted in the dining hall soon."

The blue hedgehog sighed once more and put the crown on his head. "Yes, Mother," he replied, and followed her out the door.

There were two kingdoms: Oltega and Delphuis. The two had been warring for centuries, and every time one of the kingdoms one, the losing kingdom would give up its eldest son or daughter to be the mate of the winner's eldest. The last couple had been Sonic's grandparents, as Oltega had won that time. Sonia's grandmother was forced to leave Delphuis and become Oltega's queen, where surprisingly the peace lasted for 10 long years, the longest it had ever been. Of course, like all pervious pacts, it did not last long as the queen was killed two years after giving birth to Sonic's father Julius. Angered that their princess had been killed, Delphuis attacked, waging war once again with its rival kingdom. For 60 long years the war raged on, the longest time the two countries had fought. And to Sonic's horror and bad luck, this year Oltega finally fell, and since he had no older siblings, Sonic had to be the lamb this time. He couldn't help but wonder when he was going to die. It always ended that way. Then he shook his head. _Don't focus on the doom and gloom you'll just make this worse,_ Sonic thought. So he decided to think about what his mate would be like. He hadn't actually heard anything about Delphuis' eldest, and wondered if the girl would be pretty and kind. _Maybe I'm asking for too much there,_ he thought. The back of his left ear suddenly felt itchy. _Ugh, stupid crown._ He took the head accessory off and began to scratch the itch away. That's when he felt a pair of eyes. He looked ahead, noticing that he had fallen behind his mother. But that wasn't who was looking at him. A black hedgehog with red stripes was, eyeing him with his ruby-colored eyes that felt like the hedgehog was ready to kill. Sonic eyed the black hedgehog back with annoyance. The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes. "And who might you be?" he asked, obviously grumpy.

"Who wants to know?" Sonic asked with a hint of annoyance.

"You are a guest in my kingdom, I know that for sure," the grumpy hedgehog spat. "Treat your superiors with respect."

"Are you telling me you're a prince?" Sonic asked dryly.

"Answer my question first, hedgehog," the Delph snarled.

"Make me," Sonic snarled back.

The black hedgehog glared and walked past him with anger in his steps. Sonic watched the male go and continued scratching his ear. _Clearly he didn't see the crown,_ Sonic thought. _Otherwise he wouldn't have asked._ With the itch gone, Sonic put the crown back on his head and made his way to the dining hall, only to be stopped once again, but this time by some pleasant company. "Sonic!" the young fox called out.

"Hey Tails!" Sonic called back with a smile. The fox flew over to him and gave him a hug. Despite being an attendant, Sonic allowed for what others would call "disrespectful", because Sonic saw Tails as a friend and brother. "Did you have dinner?" the prince asked.

"Yeah, all the attendants did," the 11 year old replied. "The king didn't want us to..." He paused to sigh and put up air quotations. "'Complain about being hungry'. I, for one, have never complained about not being able to eat before a feast for the royals, and I wasn't about to start, but apparently the Delphuis attendants are nothing more than barbarians."

"They're from Delphuis, Tails. What did you expect?" Tails turned around to see Sonic's other attendant and long time friend Knuckles the Echidna approach them. Just like Tails, Sonic allowed Knuckles to be a bit more friendly towards him because he saw the echidna as a brother as well. Red (one of Knuckles' nicknames) was giving off a smirk. "Speaking of those brutes, did either of you see that grumpy black hedgehog?"

"I saw him, but he didn't see me," Tails said. "He was giving off this vibe that kind of scared me, so I hid."

Sonic chuckled. "I had a little 'chat' with the guy," he stated. "I think someone forgot to teach him manners."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Either that or he didn't see your crown," he commented.

"It was off my head at the time," Sonic admitted with pride.

Tails sighed. "Sonic, you have to-"

"Leave it on because it's a symbol," Sonic interrupted. "Blah blah blah, look, it was making my left ear itch like crazy."

The yellow fox, knowing where this conversation would probably lead, held out his hand. "You want me to take it until you're told to wear it?" he asked with little enthusiasm.

Sonic quickly placed the crown in his friend's open hand. "It's all yours, pal," Sonic replied with a smile.

His attendants sighed. "Come on, let's get you to the dining hall," Knuckles stated, and the three friends walked on.

The dining hall was enormous, though nothing Sonic wasn't use to. The walls were painted a clean white, and the gold from the chandeliers made the room sparkle. The table in front of them was completely filled, all 50 seats minus one taken. It reminded Sonic of the last dinner he had at his castle, but this time the atmosphere didn't feel like he was at a funeral. Instead, every one of the royal hedgehogs there were happy, laughing and smiling and telling stories. Of course, that didn't include his mother and his father, both of whom sat solemnly. Sonic looked around and found the only open seat: right next to the grumpy black hedgehog. "Uh...Tails?" Sonic whispered.

"Trust me, I tried," his attendant whispered back. "Before I came to see you, I saw that same seat, and I tried to ask your father if there was a way to change it, but he said that wouldn't be possible." Sonic sighed. "I'm sorry, Prince." The blue hedgehog looked at his friend. He only said "Prince" if he was really serious or really sorry. Wanting to comfort his friend, Sonic smiled.

"That's okay, buddy. You tried," the prince reassured. With his head held high and a serious expression on his face, Sonic took his seat right next to the other hedgehog.

Tails smiled. "I'm glad he isn't mad at me," he said.

"Since when has Sonic ever been mad at you?" Knuckles stated with a smile. "Besides, that guy is stubborn and prideful. He wouldn't let some tiff get to him and stop him from having a good time. If that Delph wants to keep Sonic down, he's going to have to put effort into it." Tails nodded.

The black hedgehog kept his head straight but was looking at Sonic from out of the corner of his eye. He grumbled. "I'm sorry, do you see any other open seats?" Sonic shot back. The black hedgehog grumbled again and closed his eyes. Sonic rolled his eyes and looked at his plate. He was surprised that it was already filled.

"I filled it for you," Knuckles stated as he walked up to Sonic's chair. "I made sure it had everything you liked, too."

Sonic looked at his friend and smiled. "Thank you, Knuckles," the prince said. Knuckles bowed. Sonic went back to his plate and began to eat. As he did he scanned the table, looking for someone who might resemble a princess.

"Looking for someone?" the black hedgehog asked. Sonic noticed he was eating now.

"What does it matter to you if I am?" Sonic asked.

The hedgehog glared at him. "As I said before, you are a guest here, Ol," he snarled. "Make one wrong move and it would be easy for me to have your head."

Sonic rolled his eyes again and went back to his food, deciding to ignore the question. He could feel the annoyed and waiting stare of the black hedgehog, but he paid no mind. He heard a huff and then the sounds of silverware hitting the plate as the Delph went back to eating. It was silent between the two young males, so with nothing to worry about from him, Sonic decided to let his ears roam. Mostly the conversations were boring royal talk: parties, clothing, politics, all of that. But he did hear something interesting. "I wonder where the royal eldest of the Ols is?" someone asked their neighbor.

"Yes, the king and queen are here, but I don't see their child," the neighbor stated. Sonic chuckled. _Time to play guess the prince,_ he thought.

"What's so funny?" the black hedgehog asked, annoyed.

"You wouldn't get it," Sonic replied. He felt the glare again.

"This is my final warning, Ol; watch your tongue." Sonic shrugged. "Why you-"

"If I may have everyone's attention," the Delphuis king stated, interrupting the black hedgehog. He grumbled as the rest of the room fell silent. "I, King Lionel, am happy to welcome you all to this special occasion." _"Special"?_ Sonic thought, confused. _This happens every time a war ends. How is it "special"?_ "The 60 year war has finally come to an end, and we have some out victorious." The guests let out a "Here! Here!", minus, of course, the Ols, and the black hedgehog, who seemed indifferent to the whole situation. "And as our prize, we have received the eldest child of the Oltega kingdom." The king paused, waiting for Sonic to stand.

"Tails," Sonic whispered.

"Got it," his attendant whispered. He handed the prince his crown, which he placed on his head and then stood up. He looked around, noticing that everyone was staring at him in wonder, especially the girls. Sonic always had a way of catching the women's heart with his looks. The peaceful silence of admiration was suddenly broken with the sound of silverware hitting a plate rapidly. Sonic's ears picked it up as being right next to him. He noticed the black hedgehog's hand was shaky, as were his eyes. His mouth was open with shock, and Sonic processed as to why that would be. The word "special" rang in his ears. His eyes widened. _No. Nonononono. That's...this is a joke, right?_

"Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in the history of these pacts," King Lionel continued, "we have two kings."


	2. Chapter 2: The Bet

There was a silence in the dining hall. While the guest felt just a normal silence, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and the black hedgehog felt an eerie one. Sonic wanted to disappear. He wanted to hide under the white tablecloth and be sucked into the darkness, never to return. What kind of sick joke was this? There had to be a daughter older than the prince...right? RIGHT?! Sonic felt a poke to the back of his leg. He jumped a little and turned around, surprised to see a small green hedgehog with gold eyes wearing a clean white dress. "So...does this mean you'll be my brother as well?" the young girl asked.

Sonic blinked. No, this wasn't a dream. It was a living nightmare, and this little hedgehog was proving it. Suddenly he felt a rush of wind, and the black hedgehog was behind the little girl's chair. "No, Lena, this is your husband," he said, obviously trying to force a change.

"But Shadow, Father said-"

"Father, you must be joking!" Shadow interrupted. "This is ridiculous! Let Lena be married to this prince, I-"

"Prince Shadow!" the king boomed. All three hedgehogs flinched. "These are the rules of the pact. There is no changing them."

"Sire, with all due respect," Sonic began, but then he noticed his own father. Julius shook his head, and Sonic flattened his ears. "Uh, never mind."

Shadow grumbled. "You don't find this ridiculous?!" he hissed.

"No, of course not!" Sonic whispered sarcastically.

The Delphuis prince snapped. His face softened and he grabbed Sonic's wrist tightly. Very tightly. "Father, may I speak to him alone?" he asked, his voice soft. Sonic did not like the sound of that.

"Of course," King Lionel replied. Shadow ran out of the dining hall and up the stairs, dragging Sonic with him.

"Oh no," Lena whispered. Tails and Knuckles looked at the princess. She turned her head to them. "Shadow isn't happy," she said. To the two attendants, that sentence sound very foreboding.

Upstairs, Shadow slammed Sonic against the wall and pinned him there. "Now listen, hedgehog," he growled. "You WILL convince my father to let you marry my sister. NOW!"

The rage in Shadow's eyes made Sonic flinch a little. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do," he said. He smirked. "Living with you would be like living in hell. But it's clear your father's mind is made up, and just looking at him, I can tell he's a stubborn guy, and I'm not about to get on his nerves. See, I don't feel like dying just yet."

"You'll be dead if you don't follow my orders," Shadow threatened.

"Hey, hey, do you really want to go down in history as the shortest lived couple?" Sonic stated. "We would have lost the game before it even began."

At the word "lost", Shadow loosened his grip. "Hmph." He straightened out his royal purple long sleeve and brushed off his black pants. "I do hate losing," he stated.

"Good, we're in the same boat," Sonic said, straighten out his own clothing.

"How long was the shortest lived couple?" Shadow asked.

Sonic thought about it. "Uh...one day? Or was it two?"

"Second place?"

"Two months."

"Two months it is, then," Shadow stated. "You get two free months, and then after that, you better sleep with one eye open."

"Oh ho, devious aren't we?" Sonic replied with a sneer. "Well, just to let you know, I die hard."

"We'll see," Shadow said.

The two made their way back to the dining hall. Lena was surprised to see Sonic still in tact, and the guests were a little nervous about another outburst, but when they saw the two hedgehogs eating, they calmed down, and instead began to give out toasts. Sonic sighed inwardly. _Well, at least some of us are loving the idea,_ he thought.

The dinner went on for a couple more hours, and then one by one the guests began to leave, until it was only Sonic and his family, Tails, Knuckles, and the Delphuis royal family. Sonic was finally able to get a good look at Shadow's parents. King Lionel wore a red cape held by gold clasps. He had on a purple long sleeve and black pants, much like his son. He was also a black hedgehog, though he didn't have the red stripes, instead having green, and had the same gold colored eyes Lena had. He looked like a warrior, Sonic thought, and gave off the vibe of true imperial authority. Shadow's mother, Queen Raven, was a red hedgehog with soft amber eyes. She wore a gold cape and a white dress, much like her daughter. As he studied the king and queen of Delphuis, Sonic looked back at his own parents. Julius, a light blue hedgehog with grass green eyes and wearing an identical red cape to that of Lionel, a navy blue jacket with gold trimming, navy blue pants, and red boots. Aleena, a magenta hedgehog with Sonic's emerald eyes and wearing a white cape and a green dress. The crowns that each royal parent wore shimmered in the light. While the two kings seemed almost identical in their status (both to Sonic felt like true leaders and warriors), Sonic's mother seemed to have so much more pride and authority compared to the weak-looking Raven. So to see his mother have such a sad, worried look in her eyes when the Oltega king and queen were about to leave made Sonic very nervous. "Don't worry, dear," Aleena said soothingly.

Sonic put on a brave face. "I'm not worried," he replied. "I never worry."

The queen smiled. She hugged her son. "I love you, dear."

"I love you too, Mother," Sonic said. He could feel Shadow's gaze, but paid no heed. Then he felt his father join the hug.

"I know you'll be strong for us," Julius said proudly.

"Thank you, Father," the prince replied. The three hugged for a little longer, and then King Julius looked at Tails and Knuckles.

"You two will look after him, yes?" he asked.

"Of course, sire," Tails replied, getting on one knee.

"You can trust in us," Knuckles added, also getting on one knee.

Julius smiled. "I know I can." The Oltega royals turned to walk out the front doors, and the three boys watched as they got into their carriage. They stayed at the front doors as the carriage drove away. There was silence for a bit, and then Sonic felt someone tugging his arm.

"Come on, Sonic, I want to show you my room!" Lena exclaimed, excited.

"If I remember correctly," Shadow stated in annoyance, "a certain nine year old should be in bed."

Lena let out an exaggerated groan. "But I don't wanna!" she complained.

"You, fox," Shadow said gruffly to Tails, ignoring his sister. "Take Lena to her room and put her to bed."

Tails let out a low growl. No one talked to him that way before, and he wasn't going to let it happen now. But before Tails made a wrong move, Sonic stepped in. "Tails, would you mind?" he asked.

The fox looked at him. "Of course," he replied. He held out his hand. "Come on, Princess Lena. You heard your brother."

"Please?" Lena begged. "I don't-" Suddenly Tails scratched behind her ear, otherwise known as any hedgehog's weak point. Lena stopped, and then began to calm down. Her tail wagged back and forth, and she took Tails' open hand. The fox smiled and escorted the young girl up to her bedroom (which she ended up having to direct the way since Tails didn't actually know where it was).

Back downstairs, Shadow was eyeing the dining hall and then eyed Knuckles. Sonic, seeing this and knowing Knuckles' temper, intervened. "Knuckles, can you help the other attendants clean up the dining hall?" he asked.

"Of course," Knuckles replied, bowing. He walked past Shadow, who was glaring at Sonic.

"I can order them just as you can," Shadow snarled.

"They only listen to those who treat them with some decency," Sonic stated, emphasizing the last word.

"Then you are too soft on them. One day they may betray you."

Sonic chuckled. "Then am I to assume none of your attendants are loyal?"

"Going soft on them will only lead to them taking advantage of you."

"You...DON'T...know Tails and Knuckles, so don't act as if you do. They have never taken advantage of me. Those two would climb mountains, cross oceans, and fight a thousand soldiers for me. Why? Because I would do the same for them. That is trust. That is what loyalty is about."

Shadow grunted. "Master," someone called. The two hedgehogs turned their attention to a white bat girl, who flew towards them and landed.

"What is it, Rogue?" Shadow asked gruffly.

"I was wondering if there was anything you needed," she stated.

The ebony hedgehog looked at her, and then walked towards the stairs. "An extra pillow and blanket for...him." He spat out the last word. "You," he continued, saying any form of identity towards Sonic with venom in his voice, "are sleeping on the floor."

"Oh, thank you, Shadow," Sonic replied sarcastically. "You're so sweet." Shadow grunted and continued up the stairs.

"Master Sonic," Rogue said. But before she could say any more, Sonic held up his hand.

"'Sonic' is fine by me," he told her.

"B-but-"

"All of my attendants call me Sonic," the blue hedgehog continued. "So none of this 'master' stuff. Just say 'Prince' or 'Master', which ever you prefer, when you mean business."

Rogue took in what she just heard. Then she gave off a smile. "Okay then, Sonic," she said. "Are you sure you are okay sleeping on the floor?"

Sonic laughed. "I've slept on the floor before," he stated. "It's actually nice and comfy."

"I-It is?" Rogue asked, taken aback.

"Tails, Knuckles, and I would sometimes go outside and sleep under the stars," the Oltega prince explained. "Trust me when I say the floor of a bedroom is much more comfy than having grass poke at your arms. Or even pebbles stabbing you in the back.

The bat giggled. "If you are certain, then I will get the blanket and pillow for you," she said. She flew up. "Oh, and I'll make sure to grab the best I can find. If Shadow has a fit, I'll just say the others are being washed."

"Is there a reason he's so grumpy at me?" Sonic asked as he walked while she flew.

"That's just him," Rogue explained. "Trust ME when I say you're not the only one. Though, I have a feeling this little pairing he's now in also has something to do with it."

"What if I was a girl?"

"He'd be a little less grumpy, but still not too happy," she stated. "Shadow wasn't too happy with the idea of marriage to begin with."

"Hoping Lena would get married before he did?"

"Ab-so-lutely." Sonic laughed. Rogue flew off to get the blanket and pillow, and the prince went in the other direction.

"Oh, Sonic!" Tails called from down the hall. Sonic stopped as the fox ran up to him. "Your room is this way." He pointed in the way he had came. "Lena showed me which one, so I'll take you there."

"Thanks, little buddy." Tails chuckled sheepishly, and escorted Sonic down the hall. "Is Lena asleep?"

"Yeah," the fox reported. "A few scratches behind the ear and a bit of humming later, and she was out." Then Tails blushed. "She's..." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Really adorable when she sleeps. Her face is so peaceful and she breathes super lightly."

Sonic chuckled and rubbed his little brother's head. "Don't let Shadow hear you say that," he warned jokingly.

"I know," Tails replied, smiling and his two tails wagging. "Anyway, here it is."

The blue prince took a deep breath. "Wish me luck, Tails," he whispered.

"I have been since we got here," the attendant whispered back.

"Thanks." Tails waved good night, and Sonic grabbed the doorknob. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

The bedroom was big, but the only furniture in it was a desk, a chair, a nightstand, a dresser, and a bed. The whole room was just plain, but strangely Sonic liked it. He especially liked that the room had a balcony. He zipped up to it and opened the door. He felt the night breeze. _Actually, it feels nice out here,_ Sonic thought. He knelt down and then lied down on his back. _Hmm, the marble is a little hard, but it's nice and cool. And the stars are really pretty, too._ He chuckled. _Forget the carpet, I'm sleeping at here._ He breathed in the clean air and then got up. He went back into the room and noticed all of his things were already there. He smiled, but decided not to put his things in the dresser just yet, since he believed Shadow wouldn't let him do that just yet. From his things he grabbed his royal blue pajama shirt and pants. Seeing that Shadow wasn't in the room, he quickly changed, and just as he finished the door opened. He spun around, thinking it was Shadow, but instead he discovered it was Rogue, carrying a blanket and a pillow, though the pillow looked like it was about to fall over. Sonic chuckled to himself and zipped over to her. "You need help with that?" Sonic asked, taking the pillow anyway.

Rogue smiled. "Thank you," she said. "You're no normal prince, are you?"

Sonic smiled even wider and with pride. "Well, one day, I might actually be on my own or maybe in the wild or even worse, you know, and you've gotta know how to do things on your own." He walked towards the balcony.

"So, what else do you know besides helping out the attendants?" Rogue asked, half joking and half serious.

"I can cook...a little," Sonic confessed. "Eh, but...I-I mean, not much." The bat giggled. "And I can clean slightly. But what I'm really good at is fighting and camping."

Rogue thought about that, and then smiled. "To be honest, I'm not surprised." She was about to place the blanket on the floor, but Sonic stopped her.

"Actually, I'm gonna sleep out here," he told her.

"You sure?" Rogue asked. "The marble isn't comfortable."

Sonic laughed. "Do I have to explain it again?" Rogue giggled and set the blanket right next to where Sonic had placed the pillow. The door to the room opened again, and Sonic didn't have to turn around to know that this time it was Shadow.

"Oh, Master," Rogue stated, bowing to him. Sonic stood up and noticed Shadow was giving him a curious look. Sonic smirked.

"What? Can't I sleep wherever I want?" he asked.

The black hedgehog prince didn't say anything. "Is there anything you need, Master?" Rogue asked.

"Leave," was his only order. Rogue bowed and left the room. Shadow watched her go, and then went to get himself ready. Sonic didn't pay attention to him and unfolded the blanket. He got under it, placed his head on the pillow, and looked up at the starry night sky. Sonic smiled. At least the stars are the same, he thought. He heard Shadow get onto his bed and shuffle under the covers. The last thing Sonic heard before Shadow's breathing was a grumble. _If I can say one thing about this situation,_ the blue hedgehog thought, chuckling silently, _it's going to be incredibly interesting._

The next morning, Sonic woke up to find that Shadow had already left. He stretched and got up, bringing the blanket and pillow into the room. He went to where his things were and grabbed a white long sleeve and another pair of cobalt pants. Cobalt blue was one of the many shades of blue, his favorite color, and so he had requested many pairs of the same pants. He also pulled out a pair of black shoes. When he was done changing, he stood in front of the mirror. Sonic raked his hands through his head quills, and smiled at his reflection. _Looking good, Prince, _he complemented his reflection. Sonic rarely made narcissistic comments (unless it was to piss someone off). But this time, he felt after last night he needed a pick-me-up. He sighed, still smiling, and left the room. He heard someone coming down the hall and turned his head. "Hey, Knuckles!" he exclaimed. The echidna ran up to his prince. "Did you get sleep last night?"

"Yeah, it wasn't that bad, actually," Knuckles admitted. "I finished with the table, and then they sent off. I thought those Delphuis attendants would snore like I had heard, but they didn't all that much. The only thing that was awful was that Tails and I were pushed into the back corner on the worst beds. But we didn't mind."

Sonic chuckled, hiding the frustration that he felt was beginning to grow. "Which is worse: that or rocks?"

"Hey, don't forget the one time we accidentally slept on twigs," Knuckles replied, smiling.

"And whose fault was that?" Sonic joked.

"Yours."

"You clearly remember it wrong, because I'm sure it was you." The two friends chuckled and lightly punched each other's arm. They suddenly heard the sound of Tails flying from behind. Sonic held up his arms, which his fox friend grabbed. "Hey there, buddy," Sonic greeted with a smile, looking up. Tails smiled as well and flew in front of his older brother. "How did you sleep?"

"Could have been worse," Tails replied. "Knuckles making us sleep on twigs was still the worst thing, though."

"See, told you," Sonic laughed.

"Oh come on, Tails, back me up," Knuckles pleaded, though he still had a smile on his face.

Tails wagged his two tails. Sonic looked at him, and then back at Knuckles. "I hadn't noticed. You two changed uniforms."

His two attendants looked around their bodies at their new outfits. When they had worked at the Oltega royal palace, they had worn blue collared short sleeves, white gloves, black pants, and black shoes. Now, their uniform was a red collared long sleeve, brown gloves, brown pants, and brown shoes. "It's okay," Knuckles said. "But there's a bit too much brown."

The Oltega prince laughed a little. "Oh, one more thing, did you two eat?" Sonic asked. His attendants nodded. "Well, I'm at least glad they're kind enough to feed you."

The fox didn't say anything. "Well..." he began.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "What did they do?" he asked, already not liking where this was heading.

"They actually gave us smaller and slightly stale portions," Tails confessed. Sonic could tell he wasn't saying the entire story, so he egged him on. The fox ignored this at first, but soon caved in. "Under Prince Shadow's orders," he mumbled.

The Oltega prince stood there. On one hand, he was not surprised. On the other hand, to treat his attendants...no, his best friends, his brothers, like they were nothing more than rats...oh, how that infuriated him. He clenched his fists. "Was he also the one who ordered your sleeping arrangements?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"Y-yes," Knuckles replied, starting to get nervous.

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Where's Shadow right now?" he asked, his tone even harsher than before.

"Sonic, don't..." Tails trailed off.

"He will NOT be disrespectful to MY attendants!" Sonic proclaimed. "If he has a problem with ME, he shouldn't take it out on YOU! Now, tell me, where is Shadow?" When neither of them answered, Sonic raised his voice a tad. "Tell me where he is! That's an order!"

The attendants flinched. Sonic rarely raised his voice and barked out orders, but when he did, it meant he really meant business. "Last I saw, he was in the training hall," Knuckles finally answered.

Sonic sneered. "First, let me get breakfast. Then, I'm going to teach him a thing or two about respect." Tails and Knuckles watched their prince storm down the hall, looked at each other with slight worry in their eyes, and ran after him.

After Sonic had a quick breakfast, his two attendants led him to the training hall. Sonic flung the doors open, causing Shadow, Rogue, Lena, and a purple chameleon to turn around. "Shadow, how DARE you treat my attendants like rats!" Sonic snapped.

Shadow blinked, and then smirked. "Now, what ever to you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Don't even think about lying to me!" Sonic shouted. "I would believe them over you anyway! I know you had them eat small, stale portions, and you also the one who ordered them to have the worst beds as well!"

The black hedgehog turned around. He began to walk towards Sonic. "You know, something you said about you attendants caught my interest," the prince stated calmly. "From the way you described them, they sound as if they are very well trained."

"Where are you going with this?" Sonic asked.

"I propose a challenge," Shadow explained. "Your two attendants against mine. Should they win, I shall treat them...decently. However, if my attendants win, you will teach them true authority." He chuckled wickedly. "In other words, you will give them orders as I give my attendants."

"You seriously expect me to-"

"What, Ol? Afraid your precious attendants will...lose?" Sonic growled.

"Prince, we can take them," Knuckles commented, obviously ready for action.

"I am in agreement, Master," Tails added. "We won't back down from this challenge."

Sonic looked at his two attendants. After a while he smiled. "Very well."

"Ready to watch them lose?" Shadow asked.

The blue prince smirked. "I should be asking you that," he replied.

The attendants quickly changed from their uniforms to tan pants and a white shirt. Over the shirt and going a little past the waist was a back cloth cover with red trimmings and the Delphuis crest in the middle: a raven with its wings outstretched. Tails and Knuckles looked at the crest and, making sure Shadow couldn't see their faces, twisted them with disgust. "Just think of it this way," Sonic whispered to them. "You only have to wear that crest only when you train. No where else."

"I guess," both attendants sighed.

It was Knuckles vs Rogue in the first match. "Um...well..." Lena took a deep breath. "Fight!"

Rogue opened up her wings and quickly flew into the air. Knuckles didn't move from his spot. He watched as the bat flew for him and then, right at the last second, he dodged. Rogue was caught off guard, so she didn't notice that Knuckles had grabbed her leg until it was already too late. With all of his strength, the red echidna threw his opponent into the wall. Rogue recovered, grunted, and charged again. But once again Knuckles dodged her attack easily. Then, he punched her right in the stomach, careful not to hit her with the spikes on his hands. Rogue, for a second, didn't register what had just happened. Suddenly she gasped as all of the air escaped her lungs. Knuckles backed up, and the bat fell to her knees, gasping for air. _So...this...is what it's like..._ Rogue thought, since she couldn't find her voice, _Getting...the...wind knocked...out of you...is really...painful._ Finally, her lungs opened up again and she staggered to her feet, giving her opponent a challenging smirk.

Knuckles returned it. "Good," he said, getting into a fighting stance. "I was afraid since you were a girl that this would be too easy. You see, I like a challenge."

"That was...just a...fluke," Rogue replied, still panting a little. She swallowed, and breathed out, now ready again. "I won't lose so easily."

Red flexed his hand. "Bring it."

The fight continued, and this time Rogue was able to land a few punches. But Knuckles never backed down, not once. He was one of the few to be trained personally by King Julius, and along his already natural strength, the echidna became one of the most powerful fighters in Oltega. A few punches faze him? Not in a million years. The two charged at each other and both ended up landing punches right in the stomach. But Knuckles had more power and a longer reach, so Rogue was the one who took the full force of the attack. She realized she had ended up in the same position as before, with the wind knocked out of her, rest on her opponent's hand. But instead of dropping her like last time, Knuckles rammed her into the wall. Rogue gasped, still struggling to regain air. When she finally did, Knuckles let her drop.

"Give up?" Knuckles asked.

Rogue, with all of her heart, wanted to say no. Shadow was looking for her to win, and she hated failing her master. But her mind knew that she had no more strength and that Knuckles was just too good. So, with a heavy heart, she hung her head and answered, "Yes." She felt Shadow's angry gaze. She flattened her ears against her head, not wanting to hear Knuckles cheer and congratulate himself. But she heard nothing. Looking up to see why, she noticed the echidna's hand was outstretched, wanting to help her up.

"Were you expecting celebrations?" Knuckles asked calmly. Rogue looked at him. "This was a sparring match. Cheering now would be like kicking a defenseless child; it's as low as one could get. Besides," Knuckles gave off a small smile. "You are a pretty good fighter. I can see why your prince keeps you so close."

The bat didn't say anything. Instead, with a shaky hand, she grabbed Knuckles' helping hand and was pulled up. With her own two feet she walked over to where the Delphuis royals and her fellow attendant stood. Shadow glared at her, upset about her failure to humiliate Sonic, but Rogue ignored that, too tired from the match and focusing on what her opponent had said to care. "Rogue, are you alright?" Lena asked, concerned. All Rogue could do was nod her head.

Meanwhile, Knuckles made his way over to Sonic and Tails, who were both smiling. Knuckles smiled back, and though he didn't say anything, despite what he told Rogue, he was celebrating...in his head. But he wasn't aiming insults at his opponent, since he really meant it when he said she was a good fighter. Instead, he boasted towards Prince Shadow. _Not so high and mighty now, are you?_ he thought, smirking mentally.

The next fight was between Tails and Espio, Shadow's other attendant. Tails, too, had trained under his king, but he wasn't as strong as Knuckles, not to mention younger. Still, despite his age and his lack of strength he was still an incredible fighter, and Espio could see that. When Lena began the fight, Espio used his camouflaging abilities to turn invisible. Most opponents would panic, but Tails stayed calm and completely still. He used his ears to track his opponent's movements. "Hmm, smart thinking," Espio complimented. He began to run fast, zipping from one side of the room to the other, making it harder for Tails to track him. This, of course, made the young fox a little frustrated.

"Come out and fight!" Tails demanded. Sonic couldn't help but let out a small groan. _You're letting him get to you, buddy,_ he thought.

"Are you sure?" Espio asked. Tails couldn't find where the voice had come from, and while he searched for the source, Espio reappeared in front of him and punched him in the face. Tails flew back, but used his tails to recover. But when he did, Espio had once again disappeared.

Tails growled. "Stop being a coward!" he shouted. The purple chameleon launched at the young fox from the ceiling. Luckily for Tails, Espio had created wind when he did so, and Tails was able to grab the still invisible chameleon and throw him towards the opposite wall. Espio reappeared.

"Very well." The two battled in the air, with Tails flying and Espio jumping from the walls to the ceiling and able to cling to them for long periods of time. The battle went on for longer than the pervious one, but only because the two fighters could only get small punches and kicks in. It was clear they were both tactical fighters, but when the fight was nearing its end, it was clear Espio had more experience. He got in a clean punch to Tails' right cheek, sending him flying towards Sonic.

"Tails!" Sonic cried as he caught his friend. Tails moaned, but was able to look at Sonic and give him a weak smile.

"I'm...sorry I...failed you...Prince," he said.

"You didn't fail me," Sonic reassured. "You fought really well. I'm proud of you." Tails smiled a little bigger, though he was still exhausted.

Espio wanted to say something to his fallen opponent much like Knuckles had to Rogue, but he knew Prince Shadow wouldn't allow it. So instead, he walked over to his master and bowed. Shadow was pleased that Espio had won, but now the two sides were tied. He had envisioned that both of his attendants would win with no effort, thinking his mate was bluffing. But, of course, it had not turned out that way. "Now what?" he mumbled to himself, though Sonic was able to hear his comment. He snickered. "What's so funny?" Shadow asked, glaring.

"You said 'now what?'" Sonic replied, leaving his injured friend to Knuckles. He turned and faced the black hedgehog. "Don't tell me you're afraid of getting your hands dirty."

Shadow growled, but then calmed down and thought about what Sonic had said. His frown transformed into a wicked smirk. "Very well."

The two princes quickly changed into the same uniforms as the attendants. Already the air felt intense and everyone could see sparks flying between the two males. The attendants and Lena shivered from the intensity. And then, before Lena could start the match, both hedgehogs flew at each other, determined to win.


	3. Chapter 3: Getting to Know You

"How long have they been at this?" Knuckles asked.

"Ten minutes, I think," Espio replied.

"Are you sure it hasn't been ten hours?" Lena huffed.

The four attendants looked at the princess, and then back at the fight. "Good point," they all said.

Espio had been right; it had only been ten minutes, but the intensity and speed of the fight made it feel like hours were dragging by. Knuckles cracked, shins were locked in struggles, hands locked in trying to push the other back, punches were thrown, and so...many...BRUISES! The two hedgehogs punched the other's right arm, and then jumped back. "C-Come...on...just...give it up," Sonic panted, wiping away the blood from under his nose and smirking.

"Me?" Shadow replied. "You're...the one...who looks like he's...about to pass out." The opponents growled and glared at each other, and went at it again.

"Rogue, I'm kind of worried," Lena whispered, despite her earlier complaining.

"If they keep at it, they might knock each other out," the bat noted with concern. She and Espio had never seen anyone match the prince in strength (besides the king, of course), so to see that someone could beat him to almost exhaustion was astounding. They could see why Tails and Knuckles were loyal to him; he was a strong warrior, one definitely worth defending. Meanwhile, Sonic's own attendants were surprised at Shadow's strength. They understood why he was feared, but the way the black prince had treated them kept their opinion of him around the same as it had been before the fight: next to none. All four attendants were snapped out of their admiration and understandings when the two hedgehogs cried out in frustration and landed one more punch on each other: Shadow to Sonic's stomach, and Sonic to Shadow's lower jaw. The impacts caused them to stumble backwards and fall down on their backsides. The five spectators jumped to their feet and rushed over to their respective prince.

"P-Prince Sonic!" Tails cried. Sonic, at the moment, was gasping for air as Rogue had done, indicating that the wind had been knocked out of him...again. But this time was different than the last three; he had more bruises than before, his nose was bleeding, his eyes were tired, and it was obvious his right arm was broken. Tails noticed that. "When did that happen?" Sonic shrugged his left arm with a tired yet satisfied grin on his face.

"You mean you kept fighting with a broken arm?!" Knuckles scolded. "What, you want to lose your arm permanently?!"

Sonic had finally regained the ability to speak. He let out a tired chuckle. "It's...just a broken arm..." he replied. "I've...been through...worse."

"Liar," both attendants stated quickly and dryly.

"Okay, maybe not," Sonic said. "But there was no way I was losing to...him."

Across from him, Shadow's attendants and sister were assessing his injuries. "A broken leg, bruises beyond counting, a scratch above your eye, multiple punches to the stomach and shins, and I'm pretty sure that jaw is sore right now," Espio commented.

"How-ow," Shadow moaned, barely able to speak because of his lower jaw.

"At least it's not broken," Rogue said to Espio. "That would have made things much more worse."

Shadow growled. He spoke to his attendants, stopping frequently to rest his sore jaw. "There...was no...way...I was letting...HIM-argh...*pant pant*...win..." He groaned, finishing off his sentence.

The attendants looked at their masters, then at each other, and back to their masters. "I say this was a tie," Knuckles finally concluded.

"TIE-urk!" Both princes stopped mid-shouting from the pain. "Ugh, damn it!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Yes, a tie. Now, whether you two like it or not, you need medical treatment, and I can safely say you'll both be bedridden for a few days."

Both hedgehogs grunted but couldn't do any more to complain. With no further outbursts, Knuckles gently picked Sonic up while Rogue and Espio had to work together. The bat and chameleon led the way to the medical wing, and when the part of seven arrived, the nurses were beyond shocked. "Wh-what happened here?!" one of them, a gray cat, exclaimed.

"They got into a little fight," Rogue responded casually.

"A 'little'?!" another nurse, a yellow rabbit, repeated. "That, Rogue, does not look like a 'little'. And before you say it, yes I know you were being sarcastic. But not even sarcasm can lighten this. They look like they were about to kill each other."

"I die hard," Sonic mumbled, repeating what he said to Shadow the night before. "Besides, doom and gloom here said I get a free two months before he comes for my throat." Shadow growled.

Everyone was really confused by the two hedgehogs, but they ultimately ignored it and placed them on separate beds. The two nurses got to treating them right away. Soon all of the blood from their cuts was gone (as was the blood from Sonic's nose) and their arm and leg (respectively) were cleanly wrapped. And now they were dropped with the worst (but expected) news: they had to stay there until they were completely healed. Sonic and Shadow looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. They had to spend who knew how many days in the same room. "Great," Shadow mumbled.

"I miss my balcony," Sonic sighed.

Of course, the day couldn't have gone on without a little more misery for the two males. After about two hours of just staring at the ceiling in silence, the door slammed open. Sonic and Shadow flinched. They didn't need to look up to see the guilty party; the atmosphere he brought with him was enough. "What in the world were both of you thinking?!" King Lionel shouted.

Neither prince said a word. "We...wanted to see each other's strengths?" Sonic finally answered, though he had no idea if that excuse would work, making him sound unsure.

Lionel narrowed his eyes at his son-in-law. Sonic flinched again. _God, what's he trying to do, burn a hole in me? _"Why do I have the strangest feeling to not believe you, Prince Sonic?" the king asked.

"Uh...S-Shadow, come on, vouch for me," Sonic said.

Normally, Shadow would have growled at him, or at the very least ignored. But, knowing that if their little bet had gotten out he would be punished too, he nodded. The nurses had told him not to speak much so that his jaw could heal faster. King Lionel, however, didn't seem to get that order, so he looked at Shadow, expecting words not gestures. The prince had no choice. "Y...Yes," Shadow painfully managed. "H-He's right."

The king stopped glaring at them, letting the hedgehogs finally relax. "Fine," Lionel stated. "But don't let this get out of hand again."

"Yes, sir," both princes said, though Shadow had a harder time.

"You two need to learn how to get along, as well, seeing you are now bound together," the king continued on.

The boys didn't respond as quickly or as invested this time. "Yes, sir," they both said with grumpy tones. The glare was back. "Y-yes, sir!" they replied hastily. The glare retreated, as did the king, leaving the boys alone once again.

"Fuck you," Shadow said as soon as he was sure his father was far enough away.

"Love you too," Sonic replied sarcastically. "Was that really called for?"

"I had to shout with this god damn painful jaw, and I believe a certain hedgehog is the reason for the pain," the black prince remarked.

Sonic snickered. "You seem to be fine enough, since you're running that 'god damn painful jaw' just fine," he commented.

"Hey, I have a pet birdie, want to see it?" Shadow hissed.

"That's funny, I have two, and they're dying to meet you," Sonic hissed back.

They were silent. Then they sighed in unison. "God damn, it hurts," they moaned.

"Well," Sonic began. "We have nothing to do but lie on our backs. Want to...talk?"

Shadow thought about using the jaw excuse (which he realized that when he didn't move it now, it was more painful), but he knew the blue prince beside him would make a comment about how he had just been using it to insult him. "Fine," he caved in.

Sonic pushed his head deeper into the pillow and thought about a question to ask. "Okay, I've got a question for you?"

"Yes?"

"Who taught you how to fight?"

"The captains of the royal guard."

"What about your father?"

"He said it wasn't his place."

Sonic chuckled. "My father thought the exact opposite. I mean, sure, sometimes if he were too busy the royal guards would train me, but he thought that a father should teach his son how to fight."

"Your attendants trained under him as well, I assume." Sonic turned his head. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. The three of you are different, true, but you would always come back to the same basic style." Shadow grunted, shifting a little. "Your father is soft on his attendants as well, then?"

"My family operates around loyalty," Sonic stated. "Didn't I tell you this before?" Shadow huffed. "By the way, what about our agreement?"

"Do what you want," Shadow said. Sonic snickered. "Don't think that means you have won, Ol."

"Tch. I have a name, you know."

"I do. I prefer not to use it."

"How touching."

They fell silent. Minutes passed. _Oh, god damn it, say something! _Shadow screamed. He could no longer tell whether he was yelling at the blue hedgehog beside him or himself. The pain in his jaw was absolutely unbearable (not that he would tell anyone that), and he needed to talk, NOW! But at the same time, he didn't want to break down in front of the other male. God, his jaw hurt. Scream, or no. Scream, or no. Scream...

Scream.

"AAAHHH!"

"HOLY SHIT!" Sonic yelled, jumping. He moaned as pain shot down his broken arm. "Jeez, what do you want to do, give me a heart attack?!"

"This is your fucking fault!" Shadow accused.

"Well sorry Mister 'I don't know how to treat others with respect'! YOU'RE the one who started this whole mess with that little deal!"

"Shut up!"

There was a moment of silence. "It hurts," they both moaned.

...

The next few days dragged on a bit. The injured boys only left the medical wing to eat, which on the first day the nurses were surprised to see Shadow eat with his sore jaw. _This way it doesn't hurt AND I don't have to talk to that annoyance, _he thought.

Though, in all honesty, Shadow didn't mind the blue prince talking with him. Maybe because it was something to keep his mind off the pain. Sonic felt that way as well, and soon they knew a few things about each other, their families, and their attendants. Rogue and Espio were from long serving servants at the palace, while Tails and Knuckles had been orphans Sonic had discovered when he snuck into town one day. In that same explanation Shadow learned Sonic loved to go exploring on his own, and when King Julius found that out, he immediately began to train Sonic so that he would never be without a weapon. Shadow, on the other hand, didn't want to go out. He didn't like crowds; all of those eyes staring at him just really got on his nerves (to which Sonic joking replied that everything got on his nerves, which Shadow was not happy with). "But I guess I can understand," Sonic replied after chuckling for a bit. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't a prince. Commoners don't get stares in public, and they aren't forced to marry one another."

"I never said I didn't want to be born a prince," Shadow lied.

Sonic laughed, then moaned a little from the pain. The more they talked, they also realized they had some things in common besides the strength, speed, and sometimes hating their royal status. They both loved reading and having some peace and quite. They both hated sitting around and doing nothing (which caused Sonic to let out a chuckle at their current situation). And, just recently, they agreed that Lena was very sweet. She came in sometimes throughout the day and checked on them, which made Sonic smile and laugh, and Shadow even gave off a tiny smile, though Sonic was the only one who saw it and only out of the corner of his eye. "You really care for her, don't you?" the blue prince asked when Lena left.

Shadow was about to lie about that, but then he sighed. "Yeah," he replied. "She's a really sweet, innocent girl. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her."

"So then I'm not allowed to marry her?" Sonic joked.

"HELL NO!" Sonic laughed, and Shadow realized what he meant. He sighed in frustration and put a hand on his forehead. "Look, I just wanted to get out of this stupid situation."

"I heard you weren't to happy with the idea of marriage, anyway," Sonic stated. "Why's that?"

"What's the point of loving someone you know is going to die because they're an enemy?"

Sonic didn't reply for a bit. "I guess that's one way to think about it," he finally said.

"What other way is there?"

"Spending as much time as you can with them and creating happy moments that will stay with you forever?" the blue prince suggested. The room fell silent. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the day.

...

A week passed, and finally both males were allowed to leave the medical wing, but they still weren't allowed to go into the training hall, and Sonic realized that also meant he wasn't allowed to run outside. And oh boy did Tails know that. It sometimes sucked that the yellow fox knew pretty much everything about his master, for every time Sonic looked out a window, Tails would somehow be there and remind him that if he DID go outside, the only things he could do were walk and sit. Sonic groaned. One day he tried sneaking out to go running, but Tails caught him right as he opened the doors. "I just want to feel the wind through my quills!" he begged. "Come on, Tails, I've been trapped in this place for almost two weeks now! I need fresh air!"

"You can get fresh air by walking," Tails informed him. Sonic huffed.

Rogue was looking after Sonic's well being as well. Knowing he liked the balcony, she gave him a mat to sleep on. At first Sonic refused, but he finally caved in. He figured it was better than sleeping in that medical room just staring at the ceiling. He settled onto the mat and looked up at the stars. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Why do you sleep out here, anyway?" Shadow suddenly asked. Sonic sat up and saw him leaning against the door.

"Those," Sonic replied, pointing up. Shadow followed his arm.

"The stars?"

"Yeah. A plain white ceiling is just boring, you know?"

Shadow didn't respond, and instead turned around and got into his bed. Sonic rolled his eyes. _Oh well, more beauty for me, _he thought. He looked up at the stars and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Time flew by, and soon Sonic realized her had been at the palace for almost two months. In that time, Sonic and Shadow had more fights, but never as severely as the first one. They vowed to themselves never to end up in those beds ever again, not because they cared for each other's well being, but because they had been so bored. So now they only walked out of the training hall panting and multiple bruises. But Sonic kept replaying Shadow's warning about letting him live for two months before he came after him with the intent to kill. "Now that I think about it, my free time is almost up," he said aloud, not noticing Tails coming up behind him.

"What does that mean?" Tails asked. Sonic jumped and turned around.

"Tails, don't startle me like that!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Sorry. But I just wanted to know what you meant."

Sonic paused, trying to think of an excuse. "It's something between me and Shadow," he finally said. _Well, that is the truth. Kind of. _"You don't need to worry, bro."

Tails gave him a look that read, "Really?". "Saying that it's between you and Prince Shadow makes me even more worried," he said dryly.

"Look, Tails, everything is fine, so don't worry.

The young fox continued to give the same look to Sonic, making the blue prince believe Tails hadn't fallen for it, until Tails sighed in defeat. "Fine, if you say so," he replied.

"There we go! Now, come on, it's dinner time and I'm starving!" Sonic zoomed down the hall.

Tails was about to yell at him for running so fast in the hallway, but he stopped and sighed again. "You been telling him that for years, Tails," he told himself. "What made you think it would be any different now?" And Tails flew after his master.

The five royal hedgehogs sat in the dining hall, eating. Lena was talking to Queen Raven about her day, to which the queen could only smile and laugh. Once in a while she would say something, but it was only generic mother talk. Meanwhile, King Lionel and the two princes ate in silence. Sonic sighed inwardly. _It's a little boring when there's no one to talk to, _he thought. He went for one of the potatoes he had been avoiding and was about to take a bite when Rogue suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Rogue, what-?" he said in surprise.

"Rogue, unhand your master!" Lionel ordered.

"Forgive my rudeness," Rogue apologized calmly, "but something about your food did not smell right, Prince Sonic."

Sonic knew she was serious. "What is it about my food you find odd?" he asked.

"May I taste it?" Rogue asked.

The blue hedgehog's ears perked up and bit and his eyes widened. _She thinks that it's poisoned? _he asked himself. _But if that's true, I can't let her... _He stopped when Rogue gave him a stare that said, "It's okay." Sonic looked at her. "Very well," he finally said. Rogue let go of his wrist, and he handed her the fork. The bat took it and took a small bite. Suddenly she dropped the fork and fell to her knees, gagging. "Rogue!" Sonic exclaimed, jumping out of his chair to attend to her. Even Shadow looked at bit nervous. Rogue coughed up the bite.

"Don't...don't worry," she assured. "The poison...only affects hedgehogs...I've dealt with it before. It...just gives me a bad gag reflex...and a bad after taste."

Sonic looked at the bat. _Someone...tried to poison me? _Unconsciously, he eyed Shadow, but only the black prince noticed, and it wasn't for very long. "So, what's the after taste?" Sonic asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Rogue gave a tiny smile. _What a very strange prince, _she thought. _He could have been killed, and instead he asks a silly question like that. _"Milk that has been rotting for three weeks," she answered.

"That is a bad after taste," Sonic said with a smile. But even though he was smiling and made everyone think he wasn't scared about being offed, on the inside he couldn't help but panic a little. _I almost...died! That could have been it right there! But who..._ His eye swung back to Shadow again, and once again only the target for the look saw.

Dinner ended with Sonic not eating the rest of his meal. Even when the cooks offered to make something else, Sonic refused. It wasn't because he didn't trust the cooks (though now he was a bit suspicious), but rather because he had lost his appetite. The blue prince made his way to the bedroom and began to change. He heard the door open and, knowing it was Shadow, ignored him and began to walk to the balcony. "Don't ignore me," Shadow said harshly. Sonic stopped. "I don't appreciate you accusing me."

Sonic turned around and gave him a cocky smile. "I didn't accuse you of anything," he said innocently.

"So you ask me not to lie to you, and then turn around and lie to me," Shadow stated, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing escapes you," Sonic replied, still having his cocky smile. "But in all honesty, did you really think I would suspicious of anyone else. You're the only one who wants me dead."

"It's true I would rather see you silenced," Shadow began, walking towards him. "But I told you that I would give you two months to live. I don't go back on my promises. Besides," he stopped right in front of Sonic and whispered, "poison is the weak way out."

"What?"

"I would rather see you grovel at my feet and beg for your life, knowing that I had killed you with my own strength, rather than relying on poison. That is for those who are weak and cowards."

Sonic stared at the rubies in front of him. "Fine," Sonic said. "I'll believe you." Shadow said nothing, then turned around to change. "But then, who do you believe would also want me dead?"

Shadow stopped. "I couldn't give an answer to that," he replied. "You are an enemy to this country despite being my...mate."

"Still hate that word, huh?"

"And you don't?"

"Aw, it's so sweet how you already know me so well."

Shadow grunted at Sonic's usual sarcasm. "Anyway, even if you weren't an enemy, it would be hard to find your assassin just by poison," the black prince continued. "Poison leaves no marks for us to go on. Not unless we find the bottle it was contained in."

"Well then, that's that," Sonic stated and turned back around.

"You almost died, and yet you don't seem to care," Shadow noted.

"Because I 'almost' died. But I didn't. No use on focusing what could have happened when it has already passed."

Shadow fell silent, trying to think of something to say. "You are one strange prince...no...one strange hedgehog," he finally said.

Sonic laughed. "I get that a lot," he replied.

A week later, it was two months. Sonic knew Shadow was probably going to come after him now, but he wasn't afraid. Shadow had said he liked to fight with his own strength, so he believed there would be no cheap tricks. Still, the blue prince was a little more alert now, not wanting to be caught off guard. But Shadow didn't make any moves for days. This, of course, confused him to no end.

"I thought as soon as two months were up, you'd come after me," Sonic said five nights later. He was sitting on the railing of the balcony looking at the black hedgehog, who was leaning against the bed,

"I'm waiting to strike when you least expect it," Shadow replied. "I'm not stupid, hedgehog."

Sonic smirked. "You know, before you kill me, I want you to at least say my name," he stated, half joking and half serious. Shadow grunted. His blue counterpart chuckled and stood up on the railing.

"What are you doing?" Shadow asked.

"Showing concern for me, are we?" Sonic joked. Shadow rolled his eyes and turned to change. "Avoiding the question, as always," Sonic chuckled. He moved his foot a little, and suddenly he found himself losing his balance. "H-hey! Whoa!" he exclaimed as he fell. He quickly grabbed the railing as his arm passed. He ended up smacking into the marble. "Argh, damn it, that hurt," he grunted. He tried pulling himself up, but the marble was too slippery. He couldn't get a good enough grip to pull. He thought about letting go and landing, but then he took it back. He had never fallen from the height he was at now, and he didn't want to end up dead. Now Sonic was a little nervous. He felt his hand starting to slip. "Wait, no, don't!" But it did anyway. Time slowed for the blue hedgehog. A thousand thoughts ran through his head. One was more dominant than the others: _I really am about to die. _Sonic closed his eyes, waiting for the worst. Then he stopped falling, smacking into the marble again. "Wh-what?" The prince looked up and saw something he never thought he would see:

Shadow had his wrist, and he was struggling to save him.


	4. Chapter 4: I Can

"Sh-Shadow?!"

"God, you're such an idiot!" Shadow shouted as he struggled. "And too damn heavy for just one arm!"

Sonic chuckled. "You have two, you know."

"That one is currently being used so that we BOTH don't fall over the edge! And stop laughing at near death experiences!" But to Shadow's surprise, the hedgehog below him just smiled.

"I'm surprised you aren't just dropping me," the blue prince said calmly. "You could just end it right here, right now."

Those words pierced Shadow's heart for some reason and made him angry. "Do you ever listen?!" he yelled. "If I were to kill you, I want it to be in a fight, not like this!"

"Is this also weak?"

"You are defenseless but we haven't thrown a single punch! Of course this is weak!"

Sonic smiled even bigger. "Then I promise to throw an extra one tomorrow, just for you," he said.

Somehow, what his blue counterpart said gave Shadow the courage to use both of his arms. He felt himself slipping over the edge, but before he went any further, he yanked the Oltega prince back over. The strength of Shadow's pull sent him and Sonic onto the mat, with Sonic on top. "Damn, my arm hurts," he moaned.

"Oh, so that's the thanks I get, hedgehog?" Shadow asked. "A moan and you lying on top of me?"

"I am?" Sonic looked at Shadow. "Oh God, I am!" He shot straight up. "Sorry! It's just that you used a bit too much strength."

"How else was I supposed to pull you up?!" Shadow shot back, annoyed. He stood up and whipped around, wanting to go to bed.

"Thanks."

Shadow turned his head. His "mate" was smiling. It was silent for many moments. "What?" the black prince asked.

"You said you wanted thanks, so I gave it to you," Sonic said. He smiled a little bigger. "Maybe it wasn't good enough? Here, let me try again." The blue prince cleared his throat and looked at Shadow. "Thank you for saving me, Shadow."

Shadow didn't know what to say. No one had ever thanked him before. Of course, he had never given anyone a reason to, but it wasn't just the thanks. Not even Lena had been so gentle and sincere with her words. Shadow replayed the words in his head. He was trying to remember if the hedgehog in front of him had actually said those words in the way he had heard them. Maybe they had actually been sarcastic? Or was he joking? He could have been angry for all Shadow knew, his memory was so messed up. "I-I-"

Sonic laughed. "What, you've never been thanked before?" he guessed.

"There's never been a reason to be thanked," Shadow replied. "And...I can't tell if you're being sincere or not."

"That hurts, Shadow," Sonic stated with his trademark cocky grin. Then the cocky grin was replaced with a soft smile. "I was being sincere. Honest. Thank you."

The black prince didn't know what to say. He felt a strange hotness come to his face. He didn't like it. "Just don't anything like that again," Shadow told him as he turned around. "Who knows if I'll be there next time."

"Right," Sonic said, his smile not fading. "And I look forward to a match tomorrow, fight to the death or not. You're really strong, you know, probably one of the strongest fighters ever. It's a blast fighting you, you know?"

_Is he being honest about that as well? _Shadow thought. "Hmph. Fine then. Tomorrow I will give you a fight you'll never forget, and whether you die or not will be up to you."

"Alright then," Sonic said and got under his blanket. "See you in the training hall tomorrow." A grunt was his only reply.

The next morning, Sonic got up to notice Shadow was already gone. _Probably waiting for me, _he thought. He stood up and noticed something on Shadow's bed: a training uniform. On it was a note:

_Put this on and get down here. You and I have a match to take care of._

Sonic smiled. "What, you thought I would forget?" he asked to a nonexistent Shadow. He quickly threw on the uniform and zoomed off to the training hall.

"I see you took your sweet time," Shadow stated as the blue hedgehog zipped into the room.

"What? I was sleeping," Sonic said as he stretched, smiling. "But now that I'm here there's no reason to complain."

Shadow moved away from the wall he had been leaning on. "True," he replied. Both hedgehogs got into a fighting stance, and without a word began the fight.

It started out the same, with a few punches and kicks. Some would hit, some would miss, all begged for more. Sonic and Shadow ran at each other, and their fists collided. Sonic smirked. "Shadow, Shadow, Shadow," he said as they struggled. "You're not going to kill me doing the same things you've done every other time." He jumped back when Shadow tried to punch him in the stomach with his other fist.

Shadow got his own smirk. "If you so wish," he stated. He jumped up. "Chaos...SPEAR!"

"Whoa!" Sonic dodged the spears of light. As each one hit the ground, it caused a mini explosion. "Wow, I didn't realize you had that little trick."

"I have others," Shadow said hauntingly. Suddenly, in a small flash of light, he disappeared and quickly reappeared right behind Sonic. He tackled his opponent to the ground. "That's something I like to call Chaos Control," he explained as he pinned Sonic down. He held up his hand, ready to fire another Chaos Spear. But before he could, Sonic elbowed him in the face, causing Shadow to fall backwards. Sonic ran away and looked at his opponent, who was getting up.

"So many tricks," Sonic said in awe. But, of course, that did not last for long. "Oh no, how EVER will I defeat the great and powerful Shadow now?" he asked, exaggerating.

At first, Shadow was annoyed that his opponent was, once again, taking the possibility of death lightly. But then he saw Sonic get into a fighting stance again with a look that said, "Bring on everything you've got!" Shadow looked at the stare. Then he smirked again. He loved fighting opponents that gave him a challenge, and he had to admit, the blue hedgehog knew how to give him one. "If you insist..." He jumped again. "Chaos Spear!"

Sonic dodged them all again, but this time with some style, doing backflips and tricks. Shadow came down towards him and threw a punch, which Sonic immediately countered. The fight continued, with the two continuing to punch and kick, but every now and then Shadow would throw a Chaos Spear, with Sonic dodging all of them. Shadow also tried using Chaos Control twice, but both times Sonic struggled his way out of Shadow's grip. His life was forfeit if he didn't, after all. The fight continued on for many minutes. And then, one of Shadow's Chaos Spears hit Sonic in the leg. Sonic let out a yelp in pain and sunk down on one knee. He didn't want to, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own. Shadow sneered and walked up to his fallen opponent.

"Now THIS is how I envisioned it," he said. "You on your knees, just like this. I do wish you were begging as well, but this will have to do." He raised his hand for one more Chaos Spear, but Sonic flashed his cocky smile. Shadow couldn't even let out a statement of surprise as Sonic quickly grabbed his other wrist and began to twist it. Shadow cringed and grunted in pain.

"Sorry, not happening," Sonic replied. With his good leg he swept kicked at Shadow's legs and brought the black hedgehog to the floor. "Now, I don't feel like dying yet. So let's keep going and see how I feel in a few minutes."

Shadow got on one knee with his hand on the ground for support. "As you wish," Shadow stated.

They continued. This time, Shadow started to feel something. He couldn't quite figure out what it was. As he watched the blue hedgehog backflip away from one of his combos again, he felt his heart beat faster. But it wasn't because of the exercise. It wasn't the adrenaline rush. No...it was something else. _Am I...having FUN? _Shadow thought. He jumped again and fired another round of Chaos Spear. He watched as his opponent once again dodged, but this time he did something different, he curled into a ball and launched himself at the black prince. The blue hedgehog hit him right in the stomach and kept going. Shadow fell to the ground with Sonic landing next to him. "Like it?" Sonic asked with his cocky smile once again. "That's my super special spin dash!"

Shadow sneered. "Is that all you've got?" he replied.

"Well, I haven't got flashy crap like you do, but I still make this fun for you."

Yes, Shadow was having fun. He hadn't had so much of this before. It felt...good. He didn't want to stop. Then he realized something. If he killed the Oltega prince, he may never have this much fun again. All of the pervious Chaos Spears and Chaos Controls had been with the intent to kill, but now... "I'll be the judge of how fun you make this," he stated. Sonic smirked.

The fight picked up once more. "This has been going on for a while," Sonic pointed out as they matched a kick.

"Starting to tire out, prince?" Shadow snickered as he dodged a punch.

"Not even close!" Sonic replied, back flipping once, twice, three times. "I was just stating the facts."

"I've been meaning to ask..." Shadow began as he ran and threw a punch.

"Hmm?"

"What do your uniforms look like?"

"They look the same," Sonic said as he cartwheeled out of another kick. "Except our shirts are white and the cloth is blue with gold trimmings with our crest."

Shadow dodged a punch-kick combo. "The golden god, right?" he asked.

"Yep. Um...man, I'm forgetting why he's so important."

"How could you forget something so basic?"

"If you didn't notice, I'm currently doing something important."

"I'm surprised you're talking if that's really the case," Shadow commented. Sonic chuckled. "Still want to hear it?"

Sonic kicked, but Shadow jumped out of the way. "All ears."

"He appeared 5,000 years ago," the black hedgehog began. "That was when the two kingdoms were still one. But one year there were two sons, twins. Both of them believed they were fit to be king. The towns people sided with one brother or the other, and soon there was a war."

"Oh yeah. Then, on the night of the final battle, the golden god suddenly showed up and said he had a solution."

"'Spilt this kingdom into two,' he said. 'Both of you will have the crown that you desire and there can be peace.'"

"So the brothers did as suggested, and the fighting stopped, for a little bit anyway. But it picked up again, and the golden god was nowhere to be found. So no one was able to stop them, and the war went on for...uh..."

"20 years," Shadow reminded him as fired Chaos Spears.

"That's right!" Sonic exclaimed as he dodged. "And Oltega was the first victor. The king was greedy-"

"How ironic."

"See, you can have a sense of humor." Shadow rolled his eyes and tried to sweep kick, but (surprise, surprise) Sonic dodged. "So he asked for his brother's strongest warrior, which just so happened to be his eldest son."

"Five years later, another war started up, lasting for...hmm..."

"Two years, the shortest in history," Sonic reminded this time, and then performed a spin attack.

"Yes, yes," Shadow stated as he dodged. "The Delphuis king couldn't ask for his son back, since he had obviously died, so instead he asked for the eldest daughter, saying it was only fair."

"So our current predicament is all because some dumb ass brothers decided to swap children."

Shadow had to hold back a laugh. He actually found that comment quite amusing. "But why is the crest the golden god?" the black prince asked instead.

Sonic actually stopped. He had to think. "Apparently, he was from the Oltega side of the kingdom," he explained. "Or, at least that's how the legend goes."

Shadow stopped as well. "So, some random hedgehog just suddenly became god? Is that seriously what people think?"

"One of the soldiers swore the god looked exactly like his son, not to mention the next day his son was full of energy despite having a broken leg the day before." Sonic sighed and sat down, knowing he was making himself vulnerable, but he didn't care. "This is why I don't like legends. Things get lost after years and years and no one knows the real story."

The black hedgehog looked down at the blue one. He couldn't believe he just sat down knowing Shadow wanted him dead. But he was suddenly exhausted. Had he kept moving he wouldn't have felt this way, but now he was, and sitting down sounded like a good idea. So he did. "I just don't care for legends in the first place," he stated. "People put too much faith into something that may or may not be real."

Sonic nodded. "Hey, Shadow?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we're related?"

Shadow looked at him as if he were crazy. "Where the hell did that come from?" he asked.

"Well, we were talking about how the pact got started, and I was just thinking about my grandmother," Sonic explained. "She was originally from the Delphius royal family, and I just thought-"

"She was an only child," Shadow interrupted. "My grandmother was her best friend, and her family took over when she left."

Sonic processed that, and then sighed. "Oh thank goodness. I thought I would be wedded to my distant relative or something like that in two years," he commented.

Shadow shivered at the thought. Bad enough to be forced to marry another guy, but someone who was from your own family? That wasn't happening. "Two years, huh?"

"Yep!" Sonic laughed. "The magical age of 18. Oh man, I feel really bad for Silver now. Poor guy."

"Silver?"

"Oh yeah, he was one of my good friends," Sonic explained. "If what you said about your grandmother is true, then that means the same will happen for him and his future..." He cleared his throats and put up air quotes. "'Sweetheart'."

"What's the sarcasm for?" Shadow asked. He couldn't explain why, but he was enjoying listening to the Oltega prince talk.

"Back home, there's this hedgehog, Amy," Sonic told him. "She use to be madly in love with me." Shadow saw the blue hedgehog shiver. "She swore that even if we won, she wouldn't let the princess...uh, prince...marry me. She wanted to be my wife."

"Sounds annoying."

"It was. Trust me, I'd rather be here with you than with her."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or insult."

"Compliment. A definite compliment. And I'm sure Silver would agree with me right now. See, one day, Knuckles and I were having a castle wide sparring match."

Shadow's eyes grew at that. It sounded...fun. Hiding around corners, waiting to strike your opponent... "I see where this is going," he stated.

Sonic laughed. "I didn't. I heard footsteps running down he hall, and I thought it was Knuckles. The hallway was dark and I was nine, give me a break! Anyway, I jumped out and accidentally kicked Amy right in the stomach." Shadow could take his kicks, but a defenseless girl? He imagined that would hurt. And more than just her stomach. "She wasn't too happy, and she wouldn't listen when I tried to apologize. She thought I was saying I hated her. I mean, sure I found her annoying, but I didn't HATE her. Well, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't change her mind. Even Tails, who was probably the most adorable four year old you've ever seen, couldn't convince her. She eventually forgave me, but not before she fell in love with Silver."

"And his parents approve of this annoying brat?"

"They think she's the sweetest girl in the world!" Sonic exclaimed, laughing. "So poor Silver is going to have to marry her, unless he can find another royal hedgehog that his parents approve of before two years are up." Sonic then jokingly looked at Shadow and flashed a grin.

"I am not letting Lena do the honors," Shadow said in annoyance, knowing what that grin meant. "Your friend is five years older than her AND the enemy."

Sonic couldn't help but think at how Tails had slowly became infatuated with the princess over the past two months. Of course, he would never tell Shadow that, since the black hedgehog would probably have the fox's head faster than Sonic could run. "Well," Sonic stated as he stood up and stretched. "I'm pretty much out of steam. I'm going to get something to eat." He turned and flashed another grin. "So sorry you couldn't kill me today," he joked. "Maybe you'll have better luck next time." The only reply was a huff.

Shadow watched his blue counterpart go. His words replayed in his mind. "I wonder..." Shadow said aloud. He shook his head. "Why are you hesitating?! He is the enemy! He is a nuisance! Of course you're going to kill him!" He looked at the ceiling. "I wonder..."

Another week passed. The two hedgehogs fought twice, but Shadow couldn't kill the blue hedgehog either time. He was having too much fun just fighting him, and if his opponent died he would never be able to do this again. But during the second fight he began to wonder if it was also...something else. _But what? _Shadow thought. He continued to think this as he ate lunch. The blue prince had stated he wasn't very hungry and instead went to take a bath. Shadow wasn't very hungry, either, and had a small lunch. He figured the other prince was out by now, so he made his way to his room. But when he opened the door, he was greeted with complaining coming from the bathroom. "ARGH, stupid quill!" Sonic shouted. "Why can't my arms...ugh...be just a little longer?"

Shadow sighed and walked up to the door. "Do you help?" he asked.

"Wah- you, help?" Sonic replied.

"Is there a problem?"

"I just didn't expect it...what's the catch?"

"Is the scrub in there?"

"Neither of them are, why do you think I'm complaining?" Tails and Espio had taken the scrubs the hedgehogs used to get to hard-to-reach places to clean them, and clearly they weren't done.

"Then there is a catch," Shadow said. "I get your quill and your back, you get mine."

There was silence. "Fine," Sonic finally said. Shadow opened the door and noticed Sonic wasn't facing him. The blue hedgehog seemed to sink lower into the water as he heard Shadow undress.

"Embarrassed?" Shadow asked.

"N-no..." Sonic defended, but it was clear he was lying.

Shadow rolled his eyes and slid into the warm water. "Hand me the soap," he said. Sonic did. Shadow started to scrub Sonic's head quills, and for a while, the only noise they could hear was Shadow's scrubbing. When he was done with the quills, Shadow moved down to the back, and when he started to scrub, he got a strange reaction: Sonic began to moan. Shadow rolled his eyes again. "I'm not doing this that hard," he stated.

"That's not it," Sonic replied. "It feels really good. Like, really, REALLY good."

Shadow felt that hotness coming to his face again. What was it, and why did it come when he was complimented by this hedgehog? "Sonic, I'm not-"

"You said my name."

"What?"

"You said my name," Sonic repeated.

"Oh...must have slipped." Shadow resumed, and Sonic moaned again.

"Hey, it's not a bad thing, it's just an observation." The blue hedgehog moaned a little louder. "This feels nice."

"S-stop saying that!" Shadow exclaimed.

Sonic turned his head. "Oh, sorry that I'm just trying to compliment-" He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you blushing?"

Blushing? That's what this hotness was? But...that was only for people in love! And there was no way Shadow was...The black prince shook his head. "The steam's making you see things," he stated.

The blue hedgehog chuckled. "With that statement, I don't think I am."

"Yes you are!"

"Okay, okay! Sonic laughed. "Anyway, are you done?"

Shadow looked at his back. He knew he was, but in a way, he liked hearing the hedgehog moan for some reason. He wanted to lie. But something told him that would be a bad idea. "Yeah, I am," he finally said.

"Then turn around," Sonic told him. Shadow did so, and Sonic began to scrub his own quills. Once again the only sound was the scrubbing, and then Sonic went to Shadow's back. Shadow let out a short gasp, but then relaxed. _This...this does feel good, _he thought. But he bit his tongue. He didn't want to moan like the other prince. "Hmm?" Sonic suddenly said. "Wow, Shadow, your muscles are tight. Have you ever gotten a massage?"

"No," Shadow admitted.

"Time to get one," Sonic decided. He started to rub the middle of Shadow's back, and Shadow couldn't hold the moans any longer. "You like it?" Sonic asked, slowing down a bit.

"D-don't slow down," Shadow replied.

Sonic laughed. "Okay, sorry." He resumed.

Shadow didn't want to moan, but he couldn't help it. "A...a little harder," he requested.

"Sure." Sonic massaged a little harder. It felt good, really good. After a minute or two, Sonic stopped. Shadow was a tad disappointed, but he was also glad. In a way, he hated moaning in...well, he didn't know. Enjoyment? Pleasure? ... Pleasure?! Shadow jumped. "Whoa, is something wrong?" Sonic asked.

Shadow's throat suddenly became dry. "Y-you...were you moaning out of..."

"Yes?" Sonic egged on.

"P-pleasure..." Shadow felt so embarrassed.

Sonic blinked. He splashed Shadow. "Get your mind out of the gutter!" he exclaimed. Then he chuckled slyly. "Unless..." He hugged Shadow from behind. "The gutter's where you want to be."

"G-get off me!" Shadow order, feeling the blush coming back.

The blue hedgehog laughed and did as he was ordered. "No, it wasn't out of pleasure, it just felt good," he stated. "There's not much else to it." Shadow sat in silence. _Yeah...yeah, that's it, nothing more, _he thought. "You know," Sonic said after a few moments, "we're going to have to do that all over again."

Shadow looked up and sighed. "Right." He heard the blue hedgehog turn around. He did the same and began to rinse Sonic's quills. Now he was a little nervous to go back down to the hedgehog's back, but at the same time, for some reason he loved hearing him moan. So he finished with the quills and began to clean the back. Sonic began to moan again, but one time Shadow's hand accidentally moved to Sonic' side, and Sonic squirmed. _Huh, that's what Lena does when I tickle her, _Shadow thought. A devilish grin suddenly appeared on his muzzle. He began to tickle Sonic's side, and the blue hedgehog began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Sh-Shadow, hehehe HAHAHA STOP HAHAHA!" Sonic laughed. "I-I'm serious, HAHAHA, that tickles, HAHAHA!"

But the Delphuis prince refused. One hand did return to work, though, so in between laughter Sonic would sometimes moan, and it made Shadow smile. "I don't know, Sonic, you sound like you're enjoying this," he replied, using his name again.

"You're-HAHAHA...mmm...that's it!" Sonic suddenly turned around and tackled Shadow into the water. Luckily the bath could hold about ten to twelve people, so there was enough room for the two to struggle underwater. They emerged a little while later, with Sonic laughing once more. Shadow couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Alright, Mister, it's your turn!" Sonic stated with a grin.

"I'm not ticklish," Shadow told him.

"But I can make you moan loud," Sonic said slyly. He turned Shadow around and began cleaning his back before Shadow could resist. Shadow started to moan, and as Sonic began to massage again, the moans became louder. "See, told you," Sonic whispered.

"I will make you pay for this," Shadow mumbled, but this time he was joking.

"Oh no, I'm so afraid," Sonic said sarcastically.

Shadow chuckled and looked behind him. "You should be," he warned. Then he let out another moan. "Okay, I think my back is clean. Get my quills."

"But I love hearing that moan of yours," Sonic stated. "It's soooooo cute."

"I don't care," Shadow replied. He grabbed Sonic's hands and moved them up to his head.

"Alright then," Sonic chuckled. The blue hedgehog cleaned the black quills, but as soon as he was done, he moved back down to the back to rub it some more.

Shadow wasn't prepared for that, so he jumped a little. "God damn it, Sonic," he said, but then let out a moan. He turned around quickly, grabbed Sonic's hands again, and pulled him close. "I told you I would make you pay, so stop it."

But Sonic wasn't scared of the taunt. He just smiled at Shadow, eyes half lidded. "Your eyes look like rubies, did you know that?" he asked.

"I think the steams gotten to your head," Shadow remarked. But he was looking at Sonic, and he was seeing things he never had before. His blue fur was beautiful, and the water just made it shine. And his green eyes. Suddenly they weren't just green eyes. They were beautiful emeralds. Shadow chuckled. "Now I think the steam is getting to my head," he said.

"You have a compliment for me?" Sonic asked, his eyes still half lidded.

Shadow didn't want to admit the compliment. And he especially didn't want to admit how...lustful the hedgehog in front of him had suddenly become. But Sonic was clearly waiting for an answer, and he would probably Shadow the rest of the day to get it. "Your eyes look like emeralds," he finally said.

"Mmm..." was all the blue hedgehog could say. Then slowly, his eyelids began to open and then his eyes grew wider, as if he finally realized what they were saying. "I...uh..."

That snapped Shadow out of it, too. "I mean...I'm going to go." He quickly hopped out, Sonic turning away so he didn't see him. The black hedgehog began to dry off and change.

"Shadow?"

The Delphuis prince finished with pulling up his black pants and then stopped. "Hmm?"

"How long...until another war...you think?"

Shadow turned and looked at Sonic. His back was still to him, but he could tell his head was down. "You...don't want another war...do you?" he asked.

"Who does?!" Sonic suddenly cried, throwing his hands up. Shadow was a little surprised. "I'm tired. Tired of all the stupid fighting! For what? Revenge between us royals? It's not fair to put the rest of the kingdom is a position like that because we can't resolve our own little disputes! The soldiers fight and burn villages! They kill people and separate families! The end of the war separates families! It's getting old, it's-"

"That's what happened with your two attendants, right?" Shadow interrupted.

Sonic's hands went to his face. "Their families weren't doing anything. They were just going on with life and then...and then...I'm surprised they really do work for me...when it's our fault..."

Shadow sighed and finished putting on his clothes. "Come on, don't cry," he said. "Out of the water, let's go." He walked to the edge and gently grabbed Sonic's left arm. He looked away as he helped him out and gave him a towel. Sonic dried himself in silence and grabbed his own clothes. "It's not your fault, that's why they serve you and served your family," Shadow told him. "Your soldiers were not the ones who killed them, ours probably did. The real question you should be asking is why they serve me."

"Because you didn't kill their parents, either," Sonic replied quietly. "And, well, you are my mate, so..."

Mate. Shadow left the room at that word. Sonic flattened his ears, as he had forgotten Shadow had hated that word. But Sonic was wrong. That wasn't the reason Shadow had left. Shadow had left because he wanted to think about everything Sonic had just said. "No more wars..." Shadow said aloud. The only way to do that was to keep the peace. And to keep the peace meant Sonic would have to live by his side as his mate. The black hedgehog had to admit he found the wars stupid and pointless as well. The only way to change that: to unify the kingdoms once more. And to do that without blood shed was to have their fathers agree to this. To do that, he and Sonic would most likely show a love so passionate neither side could say no. But Shadow didn't think loving Sonic like that would be possible. "But if I don't, then we lose an opportunity to stop these pointless, stupid wars," he stated.

"And I hate losing."

...

Two weeks passed. Sonic and Shadow didn't really say anything to each other, but they still sparred. And as they did, Shadow enjoyed Sonic's company more and more. The fights weren't just fun, they were a reason for Shadow to get up and look forward to the day. But so was breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. Hell, just Sonic being in the room suddenly became enjoyable. What Shadow did not enjoy, however, was that Sonic was losing his smile by the day. The blue hedgehog kept thinking about his own words, and he felt guilty for something he couldn't control and had gotten over many years ago. Or so he thought. The attendants noticed, especially Tails. The young fox was obviously worried, showing it not only for himself, but Shadow as well. "I don't understand, what's wrong with him?" Tails asked Shadow at the end of two weeks.

"He was thinking about your parents and the wars," Shadow explained. "Suddenly he started blaming himself for their deaths, as well as the echidna's."

"But it's not!" Tails exclaimed angrily. He realized he was talking to Shadow. "Uh, I-I'm sorry, Prince Shadow, I didn't mean to yell at you."

Shadow looked at the fox. Then he did something very unlike him. He knelt down and gently grabbed one of Tails' shoulders. "It's all right," he said gently and quietly. Tails was surprised. "I'm going to talk to him. Hopefully I can make him understand."

"P-Prince Shadow...?" Tails asked, as if this was some imposter standing in front of him.

"Yes, it's still me," Shadow replied. He stood up and took off to find Sonic. Tails watched him go, confused but slightly happy.

The sun set, and Shadow had not found Sonic. He sighed, defeated, and retreated to his room. He closed the door and looked at the balcony. Sonic was there. _Should have looked here first, _Shadow scolded himself. He walked right next to the blue hedgehog. "Hey," the Oltega prince said, sounding glum.

"Stop that," Shadow said. "Your fox attendant is extremely worried, you know, and he doesn't blame you for it. Heh, I just yelled at by him about that, so I should know." Sonic didn't reply. "I know that echidna has been worried as well. Rogue told me. Apparently he's ready to snap your legs if you don't turn around." Silence. "Lena, Rogue, and Espio also worry about your safety. It seems despite being an enemy, you've really grown on them." Shadow once again got no answer. "And you know, there's someone else."

"The king?" Sonic finally spoke dully. "The queen? Any other attendants I should know about?"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong," Shadow replied slowly. "Are you sure you aren't forgetting someone?" And with that, Shadow's hand slid on top of Sonic's. Sonic turned his head, surprised, as Shadow intertwined their fingers. "You rarely smile, and even though I once found it annoying, I really miss it. And you don't fight seriously anymore. It's no fun fighting someone who won't fight back."

Sonic looked at their hands, grunted, and pulled away. Shadow watched as Sonic walked to the balcony doors. "What game are you trying to play?" he asked.

"Sonic," Shadow said, placing a hand on Sonic's shoulder, stopping him. "Please, listen. This road that you're walking down...if you keep going, you'll start one of those wars you'll hate so much."

"Don't toy with me, Shadow," Sonic hissed. "I'm in enough of a bad mood as it is."

But Shadow didn't stop, gripping Sonic's shoulder tighter. "If you go ahead with this plan to end it all, you'll just start something even worse."

"H-how-"

"You think I haven't noticed you eyeing all of the swords and daggers and knives?" Shadow stated, his voice rising with fear that he couldn't control. "You think I haven't noticed you looking down after eating your food, as if you were hoping it would be poisoned again? You think I haven't noticed any of this? I'm surprised you haven't thrown yourself off the balcony or drowned yourself when you bathe!"

"Shadow...why are you so concerned about all of this?"

The black hedgehog couldn't believe he just heard that. "Are you seriously that stupid?!" Shadow exclaimed. "I want to help you stop these wars! But if you go ahead and kill yourself, do you think your kingdom will listen to me when I tell them it was suicide?! Not in a million years would they believe me!"

Sonic grunted and shrugged Shadow off. "You didn't seem so concerned about this a few weeks ago," he spat as he walked ahead.

Now Shadow was starting to get angry too. He followed, slammed the doors, grabbed Sonic's shoulder again, and threw him against the wall, pinning him there. "Well, clearly, past me wasn't thinking, was he?!" Shadow yelled. He voice became quieter, but the angry tone didn't change. "We can talk all we want about the past, but we can't change what has been said and what has been done. You DIDN'T kill their parents, they serve YOU now, they are HAPPY where they are, and I CLEARLY have changed my mind!"

"And how can I trust that, coming from you?" Sonic hissed.

"Because I am your god damn mate, you idiot!" Shadow shouted.

"What exactly does that mean? That doesn't hold any meaning for us and you know it!"

Shadow almost felt like laughing like an insane man. "Really?" he asked. "That's what you believe?"

"Can you prove me wrong?"

"You're fucking right I can!" Shadow spat as he used his other hand to grab the back of Sonic's head. And then, he did it. He did what he thought he would never do, even if this hedgehog pinned in front of him were a girl:

Shadow pulled his head close and kissed him.


	5. Chapter 5: To Save a Kingdom

Sonic couldn't believe what was happening. He didn't know what to do. He thought about punching Shadow and getting him off, but then Sonic really felt what was happening to him. And God did it feel good. No...not good...great. Better than great, even. But at this moment, he couldn't think of any other words. Instead, he joined in, kissing Shadow right back. He felt like he was in heaven. Nothing he could think of had been better than this, nothing.

On Shadow's end, he honestly couldn't believe what he was doing, either. He had just so fed up with Sonic's bullshit he needed something that would get the blue hedgehog's mind off of his unwarranted guilt. But when Sonic began kissing back, Shadow realized this kiss was no longer a tool. It was...amazing. No, there had to be a better word to describe this moment. Shadow's mind was in such a rush, however, nothing came to mind. This was his first time, but it was as if he knew exactly what to do. He was waiting for something, but what?

The pinned hedgehog needed air, and when he opened his mouth slightly to breathe, Shadow saw his chance. His tongue slipped in, and Sonic let out a squeak in surprise. But he didn't pull away. He didn't even try to fight. He just let the foreign object explore his mouth and let himself feel every touch it made. He shivered and let out a slight moan in pleasure as Shadow's tongue moved around.

Shadow pulled away slightly, needing his own breath of air. Sonic heard the breath, and took the chance to do the exact same thing. Shadow almost backed up out of shock, but managed to stay where was and enjoy this. Sonic's mouth had such an amazing flavor to it, but he wondered what his was to Sonic. The blue hedgehog pulled his black counterpart closer, giving Shadow the answer that he was exactly what Sonic was looking for, and maybe even more. He let out his own moan in pleasure, and hoped it would never end.

Of course, though, it had to, as both of them needed air. They pulled away, panting. To them, the room felt like it was spinning. They felt weightless, like they could just float away in bliss. Shadow was trying to find his voice. "That...that..."

Sonic pulled him close, eyes half lidded again. "Looks like I was wrong," he whispered.

That sentence was all Shadow needed. He smiled seductively. "See," he said. "Are you going to believe me a little more?"

Sonic smiled. "Mmm, I might need more persuasion," he replied.

"I think that can be arranged," Shadow told him. He pulled Sonic's head close again and began the make-out session once more. This time, the hedgehogs were fighting for dominance, their tongues clashing and ending up lip-locked before coming apart to go at it again.

"Shadow..." Sonic moaned, causing him to lose for a second.

"Hmm?" Shadow replied.

"How...mmm...can we..." Shadow stopped him by pressing their lips together. When he finally parted, Sonic was breathless.

"Tell me something," Shadow whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What do you feel about me right now?"

"What do I...Shadow, don't ask such a stupid question. What do you think I've been doing with you for the past few minutes? If that doesn't say anything..." He sighed and caressed the black hedgehog's cheeks. "Well, guess I'll just state the obvious. I love you."

Shadow smiled and gave Sonic a quick kiss that he didn't want to part from but did anyway. "I love you, too," he said. "And that's how we'll stop this."

"How will our love-"

"Your grandparents were married for 10 years, correct?" Shadow asked. Sonic nodded. "Now why was that?"

"They loved each other," Sonic replied. "My grandfather didn't actually kill her, one of my grandfather's guards did. Father said he was outraged and never forgave himself for not protecting her."

"That's what we're going to do," Shadow explained. "We're going to love each other just as your grandparents did and keep the peace, but this time we'll make sure the peace lasts forever."

Sonic didn't know what to say. "Shadow..."

"Sonic, you and I are going to reunite these kingdoms and stop these wars. I promise you that." He kissed his cheek. "And I told you before, I keep my promises."

The blue hedgehog was left speechless. He felt like crying. He actually let one or two tears fall, only to be gently wiped away by his lover. "Yes," Sonic finally said. "We can. I know we can."

"Then there's no reason for tears, right?"

"Yeah." Sonic looked down, started to chuckle, and then burst out laughing. Shadow was slightly confused. And slightly unnerved. "I looked like a total girl, didn't I?" Sonic laughed.

Shadow blinked. Then he chuckled. "Well I'M certainly not going to be the girl in this relationship," he joked.

"Hey, I'm not either." Sonic flashed his cocky smile that Shadow realized, looking at it, he truly missed it.

"We'll see about that," Shadow stated. He suddenly picked his lover up bridal style.

"What, Shadow, put me down!" the blue hedgehog demanded, but still had his smile.

"Not a chance, I'm proving my dominance," the other one said, chuckling. "If you wanted it, you should have been quicker." As Sonic struggled, Shadow walked over to the bed and pinned the male onto his back. His hands held Sonic's right by his head, and his black legs were on top of the blue ones.

"Whoa, whoa, Shadow, we're not going to go this fast," Sonic growled.

Shadow chuckled again and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now whose mind is in the gutter?" he teased. "Of course we aren't going to go there just yet, stupid. But I do want you here in bed with me, and, like I said, I'm proving something here."

Sonic gave his own chuckle and lifted his head to try and taste Shadow's lips. "How? By cheating?" he joked.

"Cheating?" Shadow repeated. "Catching you off guard, my love, isn't cheating. It's you not expecting the unexpected." He meet Sonic's lips and pushed him back onto the bed. He let go of the blue hedgehog's wrists and slipped them around his waist. At the same time, he felt Sonic's arms embrace his back, and he smiled into the kiss. The black prince had never felt so happy before.

Never.

...

The next morning, Sonic woke up, but couldn't open his eyes. It was as if they were telling him to go back to sleep. He didn't want to, though; his stomach was growling. He heard a small chuckle, and slowly he opened his eyes to see Shadow looking at him. Sonic blinked. _Last night...it wasn't a dream, _Sonic thought. He smiled. "Do you always watching people sleeping?" he asked.

"Well I would have gotten up, but I didn't want to wake you," Shadow stated. "Besides," he kissed his forehead, "you look cute and peaceful when you're sleeping."

"Really?" Sonic said with a smirk. He then pinned Shadow to the bed as he had done to Sonic the night before, only this time the arms were allowed to stay at the sides. The blue hedgehog gave his mate a sexy smile and half lidded eyes. "So how do I look on top?" he asked in a low voice.

Shadow sneered. "Annoying," he replied. "But still desirable."

Sonic chuckled. He lowered his head, but before he and the black hedgehog could kiss...

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

The lovers gave off annoyed faces. "Prince Sonic, Prince Shadow, are you in there?" It was Knuckles. "Breakfast has been prepared."

"Yeah, yeah, hold on a minute," Sonic replied. He got off of Shadow, and the two got out of bed. Sonic picked out his clothes and, with his back to Shadow, began to dress. But then he felt a pair of eyes looking at him. He chuckled. "Yes, I know I'm a damn good looking hedgehog," he remarked, "but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't stare." He finished pulling up his pants, grateful that he had on some sort of undergarment. Sonic loved Shadow, he really did, but he still wasn't comfortable with his lover looking at his body yet. Well...sure, he had already seen his naked back, but it was just his back, not anything lower. He blushed at the thought of the day that would happen.

Shadow, sensing Sonic was uncomfortable, decided to tease him a little. He snuck up behind him and hugged him from the back, then kissed his left cheek. "Why? Embarrassed?" he teased.

Sonic blushed a little more. "No," he replied quietly, trying to hide the slight stutter.

Of course, that didn't work. "Liar," Shadow whispered into his ear. The breeze from his statement tickled Sonic's ear, and he couldn't help but shiver in delight and giggle. Seeing this, Shadow smiled to himself and kissed the back of Sonic's ear. He then turned Sonic around and kissed his lips. Sonic eagerly returned it, and then...

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Sonic sighed in annoyance. _Leave it to Knuckles to be the one to annoy, _he thought. "We're getting ready, what more do you want?" he asked.

"You guys are taking too long," Knuckles stated. He was just as annoyed as the two princes. "What are you two doing, having a make out fest?" He, of course, had no way of knowing about the relationship, but his sarcasm was actually right.

And even though Shadow knew this, his face still turned a deep red and he looked like he was about to snap someone's neck, most likely Knuckles'. Sonic threw on a shirt and tapped his mate's shoulder. "I've got this," he said. With a mischievous smirk, he zipped over to the door, flung it open, and Knuckles was pinned to the wall parallel to the door, his head turned to the left and his arm twisted behind his back.

"ARGH, OKAY, OKAY, I GIVE!" Knuckles pleaded, yelping in pain. "UNCLE, UNCLE!" Sonic didn't let go. He turned to watch Shadow, now fully dressed, close the door. The black hedgehog gave his love a smile and walked down the hallway. Now that Shadow was a good distance ahead of them, Sonic released his friend, who was grumbling and rotating his sore arm. "But I'm serious, what took you two so long?" Knuckles asked. Sonic's head was facing Knuckles, but his eyesight was on Shadow, then it went back to the echidna. Knuckles was thinking, and then he pointed to Shadow and then his prince. Sonic nodded, egging him on. Then Knuckles pushed two fingers, as if to say, "Together?" Sonic nodded, beaming. His attendant blinked. "Wait, you're serious?" he asked, whispering.

"Yeah, we sorted it all out last night, and now..." Sonic scratched his muzzle in embarrassment and blushed.

Knuckles couldn't believe it, but he smiled anyway. "I'm really glad," he replied. That just made Sonic blush more. "But I didn't even know he COULD love," he continued, his voice at a whisper again.

"He just needed time," Sonic stated. "And now, we have big plans."

"Big plans?"

"The union of these two kingdoms, Knux. We're going to make it happen."

The echidna blinked again. He ran in front of Sonic, who kept walking. "Unite...forgive my rudeness, Prince, but don't you think that's impossible?" Knuckles asked, walking backwards. He rarely talked that formally, and when he did, it meant he really meant whatever he was saying.

"I think you know your master well enough to say that 'impossible' isn't in his dictionary," Shadow replied without turning around.

Knuckles turned his head to look at the black prince, still walking. Sonic, meanwhile, chuckled. "Yeah, and same goes for Mister Smiles over there," he stated.

No one saw it, but Shadow smiled at his mate's witty remark. His smile faded, though, when Lena rushed past him and she hugged Sonic. "S-Sonic!" she cried. She was in literal tears. Apparently, if Shadow hadn't talked to Sonic last night, Lena would have done it herself. But not knowing about the conversation, she was very worried and very scared. "P-please don't l-leave us!"

Sonic smiled softly. He felt so bad for scaring the little girl. He knelt down so he was eye level with her. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he said gently.

Lena looked at him and sniffed. "You-you're not?" she asked, still crying a bit.

The blue hedgehog wiped her tears. "No," he said. "I'm sorry I scared you, Lena. But your brother helped me out."

"Sh-Shadow?" Sonic nodded. Lena turned and ran to her big brother, who picked her up and hugged her. "Th-thank you, big brother," she whispered.

The black hedgehog petted the young girl's head. "Of course," he replied quietly.

Knuckles was beyond confused. He had never seen the Delphuis prince so compassionate before. He had convinced Sonic to be his old self, had fallen in love and gotten love in return, and he comforted his distressed little sister. This HAD to be an imposter. Until Shadow noticed Knuckles' confused stare and glared at him. Knuckles had annoyed eyes but a smirk on his face. "There's the prince I know," the echidna told Sonic slyly.

Sonic laughed and walked next to his love, who set his sister down. "Well, Red, he wouldn't be my Shadow if he didn't glare every now and then," he stated with a smile. Shadow smiled back and the two walked towards the dining hall, their hands almost touching.

Lena watched her brothers walk off. "I...wha...'MY SHADOW'?!" she exclaimed in surprise. All she and the attendant could hear was laughter coming from the boys.

...

Five months went by, and soon all four of their close attendants and Lena learned that Sonic and Shadow were made for each other. This was no ploy, it wasn't an act. They really were in love. Oh they had fights, but the two had a blast, usually coming out laughing from how much fun they had. Tails and Espio quickly learned that the scrubs didn't need to be cleaned as often since the boys cleaned the other's quills and back (except the lower back; Sonic still wasn't comfortable enough). At meals, the two would smile at each other often and tease the other hedgehog. And, while the five didn't see it, they slept in the same bed now, usually in each other's arms. A few times they slept on the balcony. The first night, Sonic was very concerned about the sleeping arrangements.

"Let's go ask Rogue for another mat," the blue hedgehog stated.

"Sonic, it's fine," Shadow kept insisting. "Take the mat."

The little argument went on for a while until Sonic pointed something very important out: "Have you ever slept on anything other than a mattress?"

Shadow opened his mouth to retort, until he realized that what Sonic said was true. "Fine, you win," he sighed, defeated. Sonic smiled. "Oh, wipe that smirk off your face," Shadow stated, punching him lightly in the arm.

His mate laughed. "Alright, I'll be right back." He jumped off the railing that he had been sitting on and ran off to find Rogue. He returned with one and an extra blanket to find Shadow already under his blanket and looking up at the stars. "See, told you it was a good idea," Sonic stated as he set the mat down.

The black hedgehog turned his head and smiled. "I honestly can't believe I didn't think of this either," he replied.

Sonic got as close to Shadow as he could. "They really are beautiful, aren't they?" he asked quietly in awe. His hand traveled to Shadow's, where he intertwined their fingers.

Shadow smiled even bigger and squeezed Sonic's hand tighter. "Yeah."

Lionel was very happy to see the two finally getting along, though with the way his father talked to Sonic, it sounded as if he believed they were good friends, nothing more. Still, he did treat him like a son, and Shadow smiled mentally at the thought. Maybe his father would accept their offer of peace easier this way. One time, Sonic saw Shadow standing there, watching as he and the king had a conversation. Sonic noticed the happiness in his mate's eyes, and a smile grew onto his muzzle. Whenever Shadow was happy, he couldn't help but be happy as well. After the conversation ended, Sonic approached his black counterpart and kissed him on the cheek before they walked off hand-in-hand.

Of course, despite how close the two were now, they still did things on their own, and they still had their secrets. Sonic would occasionally slip out in the middle of the night (not waking Shadow, of course; he had gotten very skilled at not waking others) and go on a run. He even went into the castle town, which was quiet and void of most activities during the night. But the fountain in the center of town still ran, and Sonic just loved to hear the water run and feel the cool water lap against his hand. He wondered if one time he should go into town during the day, and one day he did. He spent most of the day hidden. Some of the Delph men still didn't like the idea of Sonic's presences in their kingdom, and many times he heard threats towards him. He came back a little spooked. "Sonic, is everything okay?" Tails asked when he saw him a little after Sonic had secretly returned. Shadow was about to give the fox an order, but had stopped when Sonic walked down the hall and Tails acknowledged him. Shadow had to admit that Tails was right.

"Eh, it's nothing, buddy," Sonic assured. Both attendant and prince gave him a questionable look. "Hey, don't give me that, I'm telling the truth! Honest!" Shadow and Tails sighed.

Shadow had a secret as well. But this wasn't as silly as Sonic running out sometimes without him knowing.

In fact, it was one he wished he never knew.

He was reading by himself, and Sonic was getting sword training. The blue hedgehog had admitted that he knew how to use a sword but not very well. Shadow insisted that it would be a good idea for him to train, and after a bit of resistance, Sonic agreed. So the black hedgehog had peace and quiet until his father suddenly came into the room. "Hmm?" Shadow looked up from his book. "Oh, Father," he acknowledged, standing up and setting the book down. "Is there something you need?"

"I was planning on showing you something," Lionel stated. "Is Prince Sonic around?"

"No, he's getting some swordsmanship training," Shadow reported. "Does this involve him as well? Shall I fetch him?"

The king shook his head. "I only needed you," his father replied. "Come." And Shadow followed him. They walked down the hallway and took the stairs into the basement. Shadow wasn't scared of much. But he had to admit that the basement floors spooked him a little. Down here was the dungeon and many locked, foreboding-looking doors.

"Father...why are we here?" Shadow asked. Every stepped they walked he became more and more spooked. Even his own footsteps began to sound haunting after a while as they walked down the stone corridors.

"Down here, son, lies the path to uniting the two kingdoms," his father replied.

Shadow's ears perked up and his heart beat faster in happiness. He and Sonic didn't even have to lift a finger to try and persuade his own father; he was already thinking the same thing. "Really?" Shadow asked with hope and anxiousness in his voice.

Lionel nodded. "I don't believe I told you how we won the war," the king stated.

Now Shadow was a bit confused. Why bring that up? He had gotten very little information from Sonic's end because King Julius hadn't been sure of what happen, either.

_"Father said it was very strange and abrupt, though," _Sonic had reported._ "For weeks the two sides had been at a stalemate, and then one day, just like that, our army was brought to its knees. All Father said was that he believed it wasn't natural, but he couldn't figure out what or why."_

Shadow had been confused by that. The Oltega army was very strong and never backed down. Sonic and his attendants were the top warriors, that was for sure, but that didn't mean the army was filled with slackers. For them to just suddenly lose...were they caught off guard? Somehow, he doubted it. As the black prince was led through the stone corridors, he wondered why his father hadn't told him this information sooner. And why now? Of course, he was finally getting answers to all of this. He knew Sonic was desperate to know as well, so it was killing two birds with one stone.

His father finally stopped in front of a door with two guards standing there. The guards saluted their king and, without so much as a word or gesture, opened the door for him. Lionel let Shadow go in first, so he did, almost blinded by the sudden bright red light. He blinked and let his eyes adjust. Standing there on a pedestal was a hand-sized red gem. Shadow let out a breath of awe and walked to the stunning gem. "Wh-what is this?" he asked.

"That," the king explained as he joined his son next to the gem, "is what the legends call a Chaos Emerald."

It was the most amazing thing Shadow had ever seen. He couldn't resist touching it. As he did, he felt a surge of power unlike anything he had felt before. The power caused pain to course through his muscles and, knowing it was too much for him to handle, quickly pulled away. "Such power," he admired. His thoughts started moving. "Wait, you used this?"

"Yes," Lionel stated. "I held it in my hands and used my chaos powers to give energy to most of our soldiers. We were able to bring the Oltega army to its knees in less than an hour." Shadow watched as his father picked up the emerald without feeling the pain Shadow had felt. "And legends have that there are more of these. Seven in total, apparently."

Shadow's mind was in overdrive. If this was what had let them win the war, and his father wanted to unite the kingdoms...no..."Father...do you want to unite the kingdoms by force?" he asked, hoping the answer he was thinking wasn't what it was.

"What other way is there?" Lionel asked, confirming Shadow's suspicion. But before Shadow could respond, his father was already speaking. "Don't tell me you're actually thinking this can be resolved peacefully?"

"How can it not?" Shadow asked in defense. "We can negotiate, with Sonic and I-"

"Do you actually believe that fool of a prince really loves you?" his father spat.

Shadow couldn't believe what his father was saying. "You're the one who insisted we follow the pact!" the prince shouted. "And we did! And I can guarantee he does!"

"Really?" his father asked, not convinced. "Are you sure he still isn't suspicious of you?"

"You don't know him!" Shadow defended.

"I know he's an enemy," Lionel said calmly, making it seem haunting.

The prince growled. "So all that kindness towards him, treating him like a second son...that was all just an act?"

"I wanted him dead the minute he stepped foot in this castle," Lionel revealed. "I was expecting you to kill him sooner, seeing as you were against this idea to being with, but you never did. When you two were in the medical wing, I let him live on the grounds that I thought you were actually trying. It seems you weren't."

"I was! He was too strong, though!"

"Then I'm surprised you didn't poison him."

"How many times have I told you, Father, poison..." His mind moved quickly, piecing together a five-month-old puzzle. "You..." he hissed. "You were the one who poisoned his food that day!"

"I should have that bat kicked out of here," the king responded without skipping a beat. "However, she is under your command, not mine."

"You're sick, weak!" Shadow accused. "You had to rely on an outside force to win! You tried to kill Sonic with poison!" He began to storm out of the room. "And I'm going to tell him! We will-oof!" He was violently thrown against the wall, his father standing before him.

"Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you, son," he threatened. "Should you do, every guard in this place will be ordered to kill the prince and his attendants slowly and painful." Shadow growled. "And I wouldn't think of doing anything rash with that Chaos Emerald, either. The second the guards see you they will capture you and you will be tried with treason."

"Have you no shame?!" Shadow snarled.

"Well, you see, with the power of the Chaos Emerald..." Lionel suddenly flashed a very disturbing smile that was burned into Shadow's memory, along with his haunting words:

"You and your sister are expendable."

Now back in his room, Shadow kept thinking about it over and over again. How so desperately he wanted to tell his love all that he had heard. How desperately he wanted to cry and stay in his arms for comfort. But that was not possible. Unless he didn't care for Sonic's safety, which of course he did. But now what? There was no convincing for a peaceful truce now. _I'm sorry, Sonic_, he thought sadly. _Looks like I won't be able to keep that promise. _"Big brother?" Shadow was snapped from his thoughts to find his sister at the door. "I've been calling your name for a minute now. Is everything all right?"

Shadow blinked. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of this before? "Yes, yes everything will be," he replied.

"'Will be'?" Lena repeated.

"Close the door, come over here, and I'll explain." So Lena did as instructed. Quietly, just in case, Shadow repeated all of what their father had said. Lena's eyes grew wider and wider.

"Th-that's awful!" she exclaimed. "And...and I can't believe he said and did all of that to Sonic! And he thinks...we're of no use anymore..."

"That's why I need you right now, Lena," Shadow explained. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Actually, who I need is your wild side."

Lena blinked, then dashed out of the room, leaving a mischievous grin on her brother's face. The princess came back as quick as she had left, now wearing a slave-like outfit and ragged shoes. Her quills were all over the place since she had messed them up. Her eyes were hungry for excitement. It was a strange bipolar personality case that Lena had. Since she had to be a delicate princess most of the time, her tutors were able keep her wild side in check. But Shadow always believed that the disapproved side would be useful to him one day, and so he tamed it and trained it to be a strong fighter. Lena shut the door and dashed in. "What does Shady need out of me?" Lena asked, sounding a little insane. That and his pet name, Shady, were the indications that Lena was her other persona.

"I need you to go and find at least one Chaos Emerald and bring it to me so we can hide it," he explained.

"Hand-sized weird colored gem?" Lena asked. The wild side also didn't know how to speak proper sentences sometimes.

Shadow nodded. "I'm assuming that they are all different colors, so don't go looking for a red one, okay?"

"Okie-dokie! I go look for shiny emeralds to bring back to Shady!" She giggled, and Shadow smiled. He wished he didn't have to send his little sister out on such a dangerous task, but who else could do it? Certainly not him and especially not Sonic. None of their attendants could go either since they had jobs to do. Lena, however, would go relatively unnoticed since, ever since Sonic's first night, she had be pretty much forgotten by their parents. Thankfully, Lena didn't mind. And for this important mission, neither did Shadow. He led her to the balcony and lowered a rope. Lena happily swung down it. Her brother face palmed and sighed. _Thank God it's night or she'd be caught in a flash, _he thought. He then watched wild Lena sneak out of the castle grounds.

"Be careful, sis," Shadow whispered.


	6. Chapter 6: At What Cost

A week had past, and Tails was going through a cycle of emotions. Confusion had passed after the first day. Concern passed when day three rolled around. Worry stuck until six days were over. Now it was seven days, and Tails was very agitated. "Where is she?!" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Tails, calm down, I'm sure Lena is fine," Sonic tried to assure, but Tails showed no signs of calming down.

"Sonic is right," Shadow chimed in. "You may have been here for seven months, but you still don't know everything about her. And one thing she likes to do is hide. She's pretty good at it. Once went missing for a week and a half till we found her. Turned out she was still doing the daily routine, but she was just out of sight." Though deep down, Shadow had to admit he was a bit nervous. This was a dangerous mission she was on, and though he firmly believed she could handle it, he was still concerned.

Tails calmed down, but it was barely noticeable. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'll take your word for it, Prince Shadow." And he walked off to finish some chores.

The black prince sighed. "I still don't understand why he's this worried," he remarked.

Shadow still didn't know that Tails was developing a crush on the princess, and Sonic was in no hurry to let him find out. "Tails is practically her personal assistant now," he stated. "I would be surprised if he WASN'T worried."

"Yes they have been getting more...friendly as of late," Shadow said.

_Oh shit, I hope that didn't clue him in! _"Well, Tails and I are friends! Is there really any problem with them becoming friends?"

"You know exactly what I mean by friendly."

_Crap, crap, crap! _"Oh, come on, you're just being paranoid."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Sonic, do you know something I don't?" he interrogated.

"What? No, I know just as much as you." Shadow stared at Sonic. "Honest! Shadz, you're too paranoid sometimes." Shadow just rolled his eyes

Another week passed by, and still no sign of Lena. Now Shadow was starting to go through the motions, except he skipped confusion and went straight to concern. Sonic, Rogue, Knuckles, and Espio were worried. And all five were scared at the now furious Tails. "SHE **CAN'T **BE JUST SNEAKING AROUND!" the fox yelled at Shadow, forgetting he was talking to a prince.

Sonic tried to reason with him. "Tails, it's okay-" Wrong choice of words.

"OKAY? **OKAY**?! SHE'S BEEN MISSING FOR TWO WEEKS, **TWO WEEKS**! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HER AND I WASN'T THERE?! What if..." He finally stopped yelling, but now his voice started to tremble. "Wh-what if she's hurt somewhere...it's all my fault..." He sunk to his knees, face in his hands and he began to cry.

Normally, Shadow would have punished the young fox for being rude and shouting at both of his masters. But the heartbroken, concerned, worried sobs that came from the eleven-year-old made him forget all of that. Instead, he knelt down next to the crying Tails and rubbed his back. "Have faith in Lena," he said calmly. "Wherever she is, I believe she's just fine and she'll come back safely. And don't blame yourself, alright?"

Tails sniffed and dried his tears. "R-right, okay..." He and Shadow stood up. "Um..." He looked down in shame. "I...apologize for my behavior."

"It's okay, Tails, I promise," Sonic stated with a sad smile. He knew how much Lena's absence was hurting his best friend. "I'm glad you got that off of your chest. But Shadow's right; she'll be fine and come back home. Now why don't you get some rest? Don't worry about your chores, we'll get someone else to take care of them." Shadow was about to protest about going too soft, but the sad look on Tails' face prevented him from calling off the order. Besides, Tails was a hard worker; one day off would not change that.

The attendant sniffed one last time and sulked off to the attendant's quarters. Shadow sighed. "Rogue, go comfort him," he ordered. "Espio and Knuckles, take over their duties for today."

The three nodded, still a little spooked by the scene that had played before them, and went to attend to their tasks. "Shadow, why don't we ask your father to send a search party for her?" Sonic asked.

_You don't know how much I want someone to search for her, _Shadow thought. _But I can't. If any soldier finds out what she's doing, the two of us will be tried for treason. _"I already tried," Shadow lied. "Father just replied with a shrug of the shoulders. He...never did like her all that much." _Well, a tiny part of this is true, I guess..._ "I suppose he just doesn't care enough to spend the time and effort to find her."

Sonic's ears flattened in sadness. "I...didn't cause him to dislike her...did I?" he asked.

"What?" Shadow replied, surprised. "No, of course it's not your fault."

"But...I mean...he's been treating me like his own son, and I..."

"Oh Sonic..." his mate stated with a heavy heart, and for more reasons than one. He hugged the blue hedgehog and gave him a kiss. "This was a problem even before you showed up. Don't think that, okay?"

Sonic nodded, giving off a tiny smile. Then his face took on a serious look and he looked out the window. "Still, I can't but wonder where she is," he said.

Shadow held Sonic close. "Me too..."

Two nights later, Sonic and Shadow were sleeping peacefully in their bed when a sudden, very desperate knocking sounded coming from the balcony door. Sonic, still a little tired, yawned and got out of bed, with Shadow slowly waking up as well. "I've got it, calm down," Sonic stated. He opened up the curtains and then the door to find a hedgehog wearing a blue jacket with gold cuffs, white pants, blue boots, and he had silver-white fur...wait..."SILVER?!" Sonic shouted in surprise. He then looked down and noticed a very frightened and beaten Lena. "And Lena...what?" Shadow was now fully awake. "Silver, what happened here?"

"What did you do to my sister?!" Shadow demanded before Silver could reply.

"If you'll give me a chance to explain, I'll tell you!" Silver shouted, annoyed. "Now can you let us in before someone sees us?"

"Of course!" Sonic exclaimed. "Come on!" Silver gently took Lena's hand and hurried inside. His friend quickly closed the doors and drew the curtains. "Silver, what exactly is going on here?" he asked. "How are you even here? And why does Lean look like that? Why was she out there, and-"

"One question at a time, Sonic," Silver chuckled. "My story isn't important at the moment. All that you need to know is that I was running and accidentally ran into Delphuis territory-"

"Accidentally?" Shadow repeated with suspicion.

"It's true!" Silver defended. "I was running from something really scary and the patrol was thin...not the main point! I ran and found a man beating this little girl up. She looked like she had already taken some of a beating from him. I ran faster as I saw him push her to the ground. He looked like he was about to-"

Lena squeezed his hand and her eyes grew bigger and filled with even more fear. She shook her head. "Don't say it," she whispered. "Don't say it."

Silver looked at her sadly and returned the squeeze. "Sorry. I won't, if you don't want me to."

Despite Silver not finishing, the two other males knew exactly what he meant. "I...I'm grateful you were able to get to her in time," Shadow said.

"I was almost too late," Silver admitted quietly. "But I kicked him out of the way and scared him off. Then I turned my attention to her. She was curled up, sitting next to a tree, and holding onto these for dear life." He showed them two Chaos Emeralds, a blue and a yellow. Shadow's eyes widened. Lena had done it. But...He looked at his sister, scared stiff. Was it really worth it? "At first, I couldn't even get her to move, she was so scared," the hedgehog continued. "Finally I managed to convince her, and then I took these gems, saying I would hold on to them, and asked where she was from. She told me the castle, which shocked me, but she didn't look like she was lying. Clearly, I made the right choice."

Sonic knelt down. "Lena, where were you?" he asked softly. "Everyone was so worried. Why did you have those gems?"

Lena didn't know how to answer. "B-b-big brother..." she finally managed. "He said it was really important that I got these. I was in my wild state-"

"Wild state?" Sonic repeated.

"I'll explain later," Shadow promised. "Keep going, Lena." Sonic glared at Shadow, but the black hedgehog was ignoring him. _What the hell was he thinking, sending her off in search of these gems like that? _Sonic shouted in his head.

The green hedgehog gulped, her throat dry. Silver noticed a glass of water on the desk, reluctantly let go of her hand, picked it up, and handed it to the small girl. Normally Shadow would have been annoyed that someone touched his things without asking, but he let it slide. Lena took a sip. "I was doing really well," Lena continued. "It took me two weeks to find them, and it was going to take me two to get back home. But tonight..." She shivered, and Silver held her hand again.

"Everything is okay, Lena," Silver told her. "You're safe now, there's nothing to fear."

Lena nodded, but she was on the verge of tears. "Sh-Shadow...I want...I want Tails...please..."

"I'll be back in a flash," Shadow promised. He used Chaos Control to warp himself to the attendant's quarters. Quietly, he walked over to the fox's bed and shook him awake. Tails opened his eyes and, when he saw Shadow, was about to say something, but Shadow motioned for him to be quiet. Tails nodded, and the black hedgehog warped the two of them back to his room. As soon as Tails saw Lena, all of his sleepiness was washed away.

"Lena!" he shouted with relief, forgetting to address her properly. But no one minded. No one minded when Tails ran over to her and embraced her, either. "Lena, I was so worried about you! What happened? You're all dirty and covered in blood!"

"Tails..." It started out as a whisper. "Tails!" Lena cried, calling his name over and over.

"It's okay, Lena," Tails comforted, gently rubbing her back. "You're safe. I've got you. Don't worry." Tails turned his head to look at Shadow. "May I go wash her?" he asked.

Shadow nodded. "You can use ours. Be gentle," he told him.

"Of course." The yellow fox grabbed Lena's hand. "Come on, Lena, let's get you clean." Lena nodded and complied as Tails led her to the bathroom. The three males watched the door close. Then Sonic glared at Shadow again, this time getting the attention.

"Shadow, what the hell is going on?" Sonic asked, obviously angry. Shadow couldn't blame him. "Why did you send Lena out to fetch some stupid gems?"

"Those stupid gems," Shadow began, his voice full of shame, "are the only way to keep peace."

Sonic and Silver looked at him, confused. "What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked.

Shadow didn't answer right away. "What I'm about to tell you...I didn't want to keep to myself, you have to believe me."

"Sh-should I go?" Silver asked.

"No," Shadow said. "You'll need to hear this and warn the Oltega king."

"W-warn?" Sonic repeated.

His mate nodded slowly. And then he told them everything his father had told him, including the warning about telling Sonic. "Like I said, I wanted to tell you," Shadow stated sadly. "But...I was afraid I would lose you and your two attendants if I did." Sonic and Silver stayed quiet as the storyteller let out a sigh. "Lena came to comfort me, and I told her because I knew she could help."

"What exactly is-" Sonic didn't finish.

"It's a strange personality disorder she was born with," Shadow explained. "And it's exactly as it sounds. She was wild, almost like a jungle animal. Or at least, until I tamed her. I figured it would be useful."

"I did hear snarls as I was running," Silver reported.

"She was probably fighting before she the man severely beat her," the black hedgehog said. "She's still a young girl. To fight off a grown man...anyway, I sent her off to find those Chaos Emeralds. I would have sent someone else, but all of us are needed here, and it would have become suspicious." Shadow frowned, tears threatening to form.

Sonic stepped forward. "Shadow..."

"I wasn't thinking. I should have gone anyway. To hell with it!" Tears feel down his face. "Damn it, I'm so stupid! You must be angry with me, and you should be."

"No I'm not," Sonic replied, hugging the disturbed hedgehog. "And I shouldn't be. You did what you thought was right. Whether it was the best option or not, I can't say, but I understand." The blue hedgehog wiped the tears away. He backed off and smiled, and Shadow couldn't help but smile as well. "So, Silver," Sonic stated, deciding to drop the resolved issue, "why exactly were you running?"

"Three guesses."

That was all Sonic needed before he began laughing. Shadow was confused. "When you said something really scary, I didn't think you meant Amy!" Sonic laughed.

"She is!" Silver huffed. "You know her! She wouldn't leave me alone! I ran as fast as I could out of the castle without getting caught and accidentally wound up here! Leave me alone!" He grumbled as Sonic continued to chuckle.

Shadow sighed inwardly. A stupid reason to run, but a reason nonetheless. "Well, now you can act as our messenger," the prince told Silver. "Please report anything you think needs to be reported."

"Right," Sonic's friend replied. " And I can try to come back here afterwards. I want to help any way I can. But, uh, what about these?"

"Put them in one of the drawers for now. Sonic and I will find a better spot for them later." Silver nodded. "More importantly, how are we going to hide you for the night?" Shadow questioned as the silver hedgehog hid the emeralds. "Obviously you can't stay in a guest room, and as much as I think it would please Sonic for you to be here, I don't think it would be wise."

"He can stay with me, big brother," Lena piped up. The three males turned to find the princess wrapped in a towel, standing next to Tails outside the bathroom. The fox had done a good job; all of the blood and dirt had been cleaned away and her quills were neat once more. She no longer looked scared, but she definitely looked tired. "I know a good place in my room where he can sleep and still be hidden. And it's the least I can do after he saved me."

Silver smiled. "Princess, you don't owe me anything," he replied.

"Then take it as a gesture from a friend," Lena said, returning the smile.

It had been the first time Silver saw her smile, and two weeks had gone by for the other boys without them seeing it, so it's understandable why all of their hearts fluttered, especially Tails'. "C-come on, Lena, I'll escort you to your room," the young fox said, trying his best not to stutter. "You too, Silver."

"O-okay," Silver replied, still smiling from seeing Lena's smile. The guest waved good night to Sonic before the three quietly exited the room.

Shadow and Sonic watched the door close behind them. "Well, I'm glad she's recovered," Sonic stated. He didn't notice Shadow sadly walk over to the bed. "And I'm glad Silver helped her out, it would have...Shadow?" Said hedgehog was sitting with his head in his hands. "Shadow, are you okay?"

"How can I be?" Shadow asked. "HOW?! My sister was beaten and almost raped! My father wants to take both kingdoms by force! He thinks Lena and I are worthless! And he's been playing you!"

"Playing me?"

Shadow had forgotten he hadn't told Sonic about the poison, and thinking about it again made him even sadder. "There was something I didn't tell you..."

"What?"

"...Father was...the one...who poisoned you..."

"..."

"And...treating you like a second son? That...that was an act...and I never noticed...how...how stupid could I-" He began to sob.

Sonic, in these seven months, had never seen Shadow cry, not once. For him to do this and so passionately, he must have been holding them back desperately to stay strong for everyone. But now... "Shadow, there's no reason to cry, okay?" Sonic reassured as he held the sobbing hedgehog.

"How can you say that?" Shadow asked as he continued his sobbing. "All that I just told you-" Sonic stopped him with his index finger.

"If I let it bug me," Sonic stated, "then I'll fall back into what you saved me from. And I'd rather not go through that again. Looking back, I hated that. Just sulking around, not doing anything except being lost in my own sorrow. And that's not who I am. I look at the here and now and slightly into the future, not the past. And everything that your father has said and done to me is in the past." Sonic's face changed from the soft, loving smile to a serious, lets-get-down-to-business. "What we need to focus on is what he'll do if we don't think of something. Because if we both sink into 'what we could have done's' and 'what we could have said's' then we won't be able to keep the peace we want."

Shadow, as he listened, stopped his sobs and was just crying. Now even that had dissolved to sniffs, and he knew Sonic was right. "Yes, you're right." He chuckled. "Man, you've turned me into a girl as well."

"Oh, shut up," Sonic chuckled, lighting punching his lover's arm. They both began laughing, realizing that both of them had their "girl" moments. "Come on, let's go back to sleep. We can scheme in the morning."

"Right." Both hedgehogs crawled under the covers and fell back into the sleep they had been rudely but thankfully awoken from. But not without a kiss from the other.


	7. Chapter 7: Strategies and Promises

"Are you sure it's wise for you to be with me?" Silver asked. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"And I believe you," Espio replied. "But can you tell me with certainty that you know the way to the border that you came from?"

The purple chameleon was right, and Silver knew it. "I just don't want you to get tried for treason," he responded.

Espio chuckled. "Oh, don't worry," he said with a mischievous sparkle in his eye. Being Shadow's attendant had given him some of his master's sadistic nature. "Should they find us together, I'll just take this kunai and give you a few cuts. They'll think you're my prisoner."

Silver gave a nervous smile. "Y-you wouldn't actually do that, would you?"

The attendant laughed. "They wouldn't find us, so I think I won't have to," he told him. _In other words, _Silver thought, still nervous, _if they did, you would. _"Now, come on, Lord Silver. We should get to the border as quickly as possible."

"Right," the royal agreed. And the two continued their trek through the woods.

It was the next morning. Silver needed to get back to the Oltega kingdom, and Shadow figured an escort would be wise. He called Espio and got him to do so. Shadow even had an excuse for him: the black hedgehog needed him to go into town and get some things for him. And no one suspected a thing. Silver had just as an easy of a time. He was just as good as Sonic at sneaking around without getting caught, and with his psychokinetic powers maybe even better. As they traveled Espio asked Silver about why he was in their territory. At first Silver didn't want to say a word. He had no idea if the purple chameleon was more loyal to the prince or to the king. Espio could clearly see the hesitation and swore on his life that he was more loyal to Shadow. He had, after all, been Shadow's personal assistant since the two were small children, and they were very close. Silver could see in his escort's eyes that he was being truthful and sincere, so he explained. When the hedgehog was done, Espio had never looked so determined and angry. "I have the same dream as the two princes," Espio stated. "Trying to unite the kingdoms by force will only cause more suffering. Though I must ask, Lord Silver, what will warning the king of Oltega do?"

"To be honest, I don't know," Silver said. "But if your king is thinking of invading, my kingdom should be prepared."

Espio nodded. "Here it is," he said, pointing ahead of them. "You're right, the patrol is thin."

"Would you mind not telling your king? I need a way to get back and forth."

"I wasn't planning on it." With a nod from the other as a goodbye, Silver snuck his way across the border and Espio returned to the castle.

As Silver got closer back home, he became a bit more nervous. There was no doubt in his mind that his parents and his majesty would be incredibly angry for being gone the entire night, especially in enemy territory. And he didn't even want to THINK about Amy's reaction. "But I found out useful information," he told himself. "Hopefully with that, the punishment will be less severe." With caution he approached the front gate and when the two soldiers saw him walk up they were shocked. Lucky for Silver, one of the soldiers happened to be a good friend of his.

"Lord Silver," Blaze commented as the hedgehog walked up. "Where have you been? Your parents, the king and queen, and the princess have all been worried sick about you. You should be lucky you were only gone last night otherwise they would have sent a search party for you. In fact, I think they were about to organize one."

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone, Blaze," Silver apologized. "But I must speak with his majesty Julius as soon as possible. It's important."

The lavender cat looked up to the lookout. "Send a message to his majesty!" she yelled to him. "Tell him Lord Silver requests an audience with him and that it is urgent." The lookout nodded and quickly left his post to go tell Julius. At the same time, other soldiers opened up the gates, and Blaze escorted him into the castle.

"SIIIIIIIILVER!" a familiar shriek filled the air as Silver entered the castle.

"Nonononono, Blaze, protect me!" Silver ordered.

Of course, before the soldier could move a muscle, Amy appeared and hugged Silver. Well, it was more of a tackle since the two hedgehogs crashed onto the floor with Amy snuggling the uncomfortable male. "Oh Silver, I was so WORRIED!" Amy cried. "I couldn't find you ANYWHERE last night!"

"Um...sorry, Amy," Silver replied. He didn't want to tell her the reason he had left was because of the princess herself. "Now, would you please calm down-"

"How can I calm down?!" his fiancée wailed. "You could have caught a cold or stubbed your toe or..." Silver zoned out of her rants. _How is she missing the obvious 'You could have died!' and instead she's focused on a stubbed toe? Does she think I'm five? Or does she think I'm as frail as her?_

"Princess Amy," Blaze stepped in calmly. _My savior! _Silver cried in happiness in his head. "I know you were concerned, but at this moment Silver has to speak with the king, and it is very important. I'm sure Silver would appreciate it if you let him stand a let go of him a little."

The princess looked at the soldier. "Okay," she replied. Silver was able to breath a little easier and stood up, and once he was on his feet Amy grabbed his arm. _Better than nothing, I guess. _Since the pink hedgehog refused to let go, he had to escort her to the king's chambers with Blaze following them.

When Silver entered the chamber, he noticed his parents were there along with the king and queen, and the four hedgehogs did not look happy. "Silver," Julius began, obvious disappointment in his voice. "I hope with your important discussion comes a reason as to WHY you disappeared last night. You are the next king. What if something had happened to you?"

Silver didn't speak at first. He just knelt on one knee. "Forgive me, your majesty," he began. "I wanted to go out for a walk. I was not thinking and should have asked for an escort, especially since I was chased into Delphuis territory."

His parents gasped. "Who was your pursuer?" Aleena asked with urgency and authority.

"No cause for alarm, my queen, it was just a wild animal," Silver lied. _...Actually, that's a good way to describe Amy. _"I chased it off, but not before I ended up in the other kingdom's territory. I was lucky enough not to get caught because the patrol where I entered was thin."

A sigh seemed to escape the room, but the slight tension was still there. "And where did you go from there?" Julius questioned.

"I found Princess Lena out in the woods," Silver explained. "She was being attacked by a man, and I saved her, then escorted her back to the castle."

"So you met with Sonic?" the blue hedgehog's father asked. Though he hadn't shown much over the last seven months, he was very concerned about his son, and this was his chance to hear how he was doing.

"Yes I did. Of course, I had to sneak across the grounds and fly up to his balcony. He is doing well, your majesty. But that is not the important information I have to deliver."

"Of course," Julius replied, a wave of relief flowing over him. "Then continue."

Before speaking, Silver organized his thoughts. He took a deep breath. "The reason Delphuis won," he began, "was because they used one of the legendary Chaos Emeralds." The four parents were shocked. "And the king plans to collect all seven so that he can invade Oltega while we are vulnerable and reunite the kingdoms by force."

Julius was understandably furious that Lionel would even think of betraying the pact. "Do you know when he plans to attack?" Aleena asked, knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea for her husband to speak when he was furious.

"No, I am sorry, my queen," Silver said. "However, I suspect they will when they collect all of them. At the moment they have one, or at least as far as we know. All of my information comes from Prince Shadow, and his father did not disclose if they have more. And I have doubts if he would tell him now."

"Why is that?" the king asked, a little more calm.

Silver debated on whether to tell Julius that detail or not. In the end, he sighed. "Apparently, Prince Shadow and Princess Lena are now expendable, according to the king," the teen explained. "What I interpret from that is that if they do collect the seven Chaos Emeralds, King Lionel plans on becoming king and not letting Sonic and Prince Shadow take their rightful place. I like to suspect two reasons for that: the king wants all the power to himself and the princes wish for peace should the kingdoms unite."

King Julius was thinking. "So if we were to collect one Chaos Emerald and hide it, then this invasion may not come to pass," he said.

"Prince Shadow already had that idea," Silver stated. "That was why Princess Lena was in the woods. He sent her to hunt for some. In all honesty, it might not have been his smartest move, but she did retrieve two and Sonic and Shadow are planning on hiding them."

His majesty nodded. "You said my son and the other prince wish for peace?" he clarified.

"That is correct, sire," Silver answered. "Sonic told me he is sick of the fighting."

Aleena smiled at her son's compassion. "Thank you Silver for this information," she said. "This can help us plan just in case."

Silver nodded. "Your majesty," he stated, turning his head to look directly at Julius. "I know what I am about to ask is dangerous and risky and right now after last night's incident might not be the best time, but I was hoping if I have your permission to be a messenger between you and the two princes."

Julius was about to answer, but Silver's mother, Angela, beat him to it. "Absolutely not, young man!" she protested. "You could have died last night!" _Well, at least SOMEONE is concerned about the right thing. _"You got very lucky if I do say so myself. I do not want you to risk that ever again! We can send someone else!"

"With all due respect, Mother," Silver addressed her as he rose back to his feet, "I do not believe Prince Shadow would trust anyone else to carry any information he has to report. He almost attacked me thinking I was the one who beat up his little sister. I do not want to even imagine what would happen if a soldier arrived at his doorstep. And another thing, I can take care of myself. I am strong, I have powers, and I am very good at being stealthy. I promise if King Julius allows me to do this that I will be extremely careful and always return home safely."

Angela was about to protest, but this time Julius beat her to speaking. "Angela, I know you are concerned," he told her. "To be honest, I am not very comfortable with this either, but what Silver says makes sense. Sonic would trust any of our soldiers, but to try and convince Prince Shadow, I fear that would only eat up valuable time."

"Your majesty, if I may offer a suggestion," Blaze piped up. All eyes were on the elite soldier. "I could accompany Lord Silver to the castle. I am just as skillful as he is, though I do not have the trust he has with the Delphuis prince. I know it might be risky bringing me up to the balcony of his room, but if it would give you comfort, then we can try."

Her king processed her suggestion. "Silver, would you mind?" he asked.

"I see no problem with it," the hedgehog replied.

"Very well, Blaze," the king stated. "Whenever Silver needs to deliver a message, you may accompany him. Do not worry about your duties; we will have someone take them over until your return. However, for now, there are no messages to deliver. Right now..." His gaze, which had been very calm, turned to Silver and became disappointment. _Yeah, I figured I wasn't getting away from punishment, _Silver thought. "You, Silver, are in deep trouble. You are not allowed to leave the castle for five days. The only place you can go is the garden, and even then there will be guards to make sure you do not run off."

Silver bowed his head. "I understand," he replied calmly. "My actions were rash and stupid and I admit to my mistake. I apologize for making all of you worry."

"I'm just glad you're safe!" Amy squealed and hugged Silver. _Way to ruin the formal mood, _Silver thought.

"In these five days," Silver's father, Harvey, stated, "you can spend time with Princess Amy."

Amy snuggled closer, smiling even bigger. _Father, sometimes I really FUCKING hate you. _"Yes, Father," Silver replied, trying not to show his annoyance. He bowed (as best as he could, anyway), as did Blaze, and the three teens turned to leave.

"Oh, one more question, Silver," Aleena called. Silver turned his head. "When Julius and I left, Sonic and Prince Shadow were at each other's throats. Might I ask how they are now?"

Silver smiled. "They were?" he replied. "My queen, forgive my rudeness, but I am almost tempted to call a bluff."

"I think you spent too much time with my son," Aleena sighed but with a smile. "You have picked up his witty habits." Silver laughed, and with that his party left with the door shutting behind them.

"Did...you really mean that?" Blaze asked.

Silver nodded. "I still can't believe Sonikku had to be a mate to another male," Amy piped up. Despite her affections for the blue hedgehog having faded slightly, she still used the pet name she had given him.

"They don't look like they're bothered by it anymore," Silver replied. Then he smiled slyly. "To be honest, I wanted to ask if that black hedgehog was a good part-OW! Blaze!" The lavender cat had smacked him upside the head and had an annoyed look on his face.

"Pervert," was all she had to say.

Back in the king's chambers, he and his wife were discussing the conversation. Silver's parents had been dismissed. "I still cannot believe Lionel wants to reunite the kingdoms by force," Julius stated.

"Love, I know what you're thinking, but it would not be wise to attack them right now," Aleena advised. "Should we do so, we might put Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in danger. Not to mention Prince Shadow and Princess Lena. Plus, we would be seen as the instigators since this information should not have even gotten to our ears."

"I know," her husband sighed. He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just repeated, "I know."

...

Night came upon the Delphuis castle, and Shadow was hiding the emeralds. He first placed them in a box and then opened a secret compartment under the rug. He didn't know why it was there, probably from some previous prince, but now he was glad it existed. He placed the box inside, closed the hatch, and covered it with the rug once more. Despite Sonic's promise to scheme that morning, all their minds could think of was were to hide the Chaos Emeralds, so that was what they did. He stared at the hiding spot and frowned. He still couldn't believe all of this was happening. He no longer blamed himself for Lena's condition when she came home, though it still bothered him. He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Meanwhile, the bathroom door opened and Sonic walked out, clean from his bath. He yawned and noticed Shadow on the bed. The black hedgehog's back was to him, but he could still he was feeling down. Sonic walked over and sat down next to him. When Shadow looked at him, Sonic gave him a warm smile. Shadow looked down at the ground again, and Sonic frowned. He gently placed a finger under Shadow's chin and lifted his head up so they were looking at each other. Looking into his emerald eyes, Shadow knew what was coming next, and his guess was correct. He closed his eyes to feel more of the contact of his partner's soft lips. Sonic backed away, too soon in Shadow's opinion.

"Listen, Shadow," Sonic said softly. "I know you stopped blaming yourself, so why do you still seem sad?"

The black hedgehog didn't respond right away. "I just can't believe all of this," he finally replied. "My father...he always seemed so noble. He never gave off a power hungry vibe. But learning all of this..." He sighed. "I guess my father was playing us all for fools all along."

Sonic folded his ears. Betrayal was one thing, but to be betrayed by your own father...Sonic couldn't even begin to think of how awful that was. He hugged the disturbed hedgehog. "Shadow," he said, "I honestly don't have anything comforting to say, but just know that I'm always here for you."

_Don't have anything comforting to say? Then what was that?_ Shadow asked in his head. He smirked, and then in one quick motion he pinned Sonic to the bed, got on top of him, and kissed him. "Thanks, love," he replied quietly as he moved away. The blue hedgehog noted the lust in his partner's eyes. He chuckled.

"I don't think we should do what I know you're thinking," he stated. "Calm down first."

Shadow let out an exaggerated groan but still had the smile on his face. "Fine," he said, then dove for another kiss. "Tomorrow, then."

"Really?" Sonic said. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he was really prepared to jump to the next level. He knew nothing of the steps beyond kissing and hugging.

"Sonic," Shadow began, "we've been together five months. Don't you think we should do it soon?"

"W-well, yeah," Sonic replied, stuttering. "I just...I don't know much about it, and I don't want to make you feel unsatisfied."

Now it was Shadow's turn to chuckle. "Since when have you never satisfied me?" he asked, rubbing their noses together. "I know about it. I've read a few stories, so just let me handle everything, and I'll tell you what to do."

"You mean I have to be the girl?" Sonic complained.

"You already said you know nothing about it. Can't go back on it now."

"Fine," Sonic agreed. "Tomorrow night then."

"It's a date," Shadow whispered in his ear before the two fell asleep in each other's arms as usual.

...

The next day, Sonic felt really nervous. _Probably because of that promise, _he thought. He was still a virgin after all, and the anticipation on what losing it would feel like made him a tad on edge. It didn't help that Shadow had sword training that day and his friends were all doing chores. And there was no way he wanted to talk to Lena about his nervousness. Both Shadow and Tails would skin him alive if he told her about lovemaking. So he had to deal with walking around the garden, just waiting for the moon to rise.

"Oh, Prince Sonic." The hedgehog turned around to face King Lionel. Sonic hadn't seen him the day before, but just because a day had passed between when Shadow delivered the news that he had been played for a fool didn't make the situation any less awkward for the teen. Still, he didn't want to give away the fact that he had information he wasn't suppose to know, so he did his best to give his trademark smile.

"Hello, sire," the blue hedgehog replied. "Fine day, isn't it?"

"Of course," Lionel replied. He looked around. "I see my son isn't with you."

Sonic was a little ticked that Shadow's own father didn't know about his sword training. Then he reminded himself that Lionel didn't actually care for the black hedgehog. "He's in the training hall," Sonic explained. "He has swordsmanship practice today."

Lionel just nodded. "You seem nervous today," the king noted.

"I am?"

"I saw you fidgeting a little before I talked to you."

"Oh." Sonic had to think of a lie. He really didn't want to reveal his and Shadow's private life. "Lena borrowed a book of mine," he lied. "I was at a really good part, and then she begged me to lend it to her. I did, but now I really want to read what happens next."

The king nodded again. He seemed to buy it. "Well then, sorry for bothering you." He turned to walk back inside.

"Wait!" Sonic called involuntarily. _Shit, why did I just do that?_

"Hmm?" The king turned around. "Yes, was there something you needed?"

Sonic didn't know what to say next. _Just tell him never mind, _he told him. But his subconscious had other plans. "Do you think Shadow will make a good king?" he blurted out. _What the FUCK are you doing, stupid?_

"Yes, I do believe so," Lionel stated all too quickly. _Liar! _Sonic shouted in his head, but he was able to bite his tongue. "If that is all, I will take my leave."

"It was nice talking to you, your majesty," Sonic replied. Once again, he got a nod as a reply, and the king walked off. When Sonic saw the doors close, he walked over to the flowerbed, his back to the castle. "Shit, why did I even ask that?!" he whispered harshly. "I hope I didn't just make a huge mistake!"

Luckily, nothing to special happened at dinner. The king didn't look like he was suspicious, so Sonic relaxed a little. Then Shadow gave him a sly smile and half lidded eyes. Sonic had forgotten about his nervous for the night activity the two of them were going to participate in since it had been replaced with the nervousness of sounding suspicious. "Shadow, I didn't forget," Sonic lied. "You don't have to remind me."

"I know," Shadow replied, his voice slightly deep. And it totally turned Sonic on. "But I feel like it." To tease Sonic even more, the black hedgehog placed his hand on Sonic's left leg and began to gently move his hand up and down. It felt good, but to avoid embarrassing both of them, Sonic had to hold back his moans and purrs.

"Ass," Sonic whispered jokingly. Shadow chuckled.

"What's so funny over there?" Raven asked. Sonic jumped a little, not only because the queen rarely talked and whenever she did it freaked him out, but also because he had been so focused on Shadow's touches.

Shadow jumped a little as well. "Nothing, Mother," he replied, holding his stutter as well as he could. "It's something you wouldn't get." The queen didn't push the issue further, and the two boys looked at each other. It was as if she just did that to mess with them.

Dinner was done. The two princes made their way to their room and when they closed the door and kicked off their shoes and socks, Sonic took a deep breath, to which Shadow chuckled. "Oh, can you tell me with a straight face that you're not even a tiny bit nervous?" Sonic asked slyly.

"Heh, I'm a little nervous," his partner admitted. "But because I'm doing it with someone I love, it's not that bad."

Sonic felt himself blushing madly. "Don't say things like that!" he exclaimed nervously.

Shadow chuckled again. "Aw, you're really cute when you blush like that," he said, placing a finger underneath Sonic's chin.

The blushing hedgehog didn't think it would be possible, but he firmly believed he was blushing even more, and his heart was pounding in his chest. "Let's just do this before my heart decides to give out!" Sonic stated.

"Alright." Shadow gently kissed the blue hedgehog, and strangely he began to calm down. Knowing that he was going to be on the bottom tonight, he decided that this was his only chance to have any sort of dominance. He kissed back and forced his tongue into Shadow's mouth. There was a muffled surprised followed by a small moan and Shadow starting to fight back. In the past few months they had kissed but they hadn't had a make-out session in quite a while. And neither of them remembered it being this...this...was there a word to describe it? And...did the room always get this hot? They finally parted, panting, and with shaky hands Shadow began to take off Sonic's shirt. His hands against Sonic's torso made the blue hedgehog shiver in pleasure, and when he noticed his white shirt on the floor Sonic began to take off Shadow's. Both shirts were off now and Shadow went for Sonic's neck. The teased hedgehog let out moans as his mate kissed, licked, and nibbled at his neck.

"Sh-Shadow," Sonic moaned. "St-stop with...with the teasing."

The black hedgehog moved slight away. "Someone's impatient," he whispered. "I thought you were nervous." And he kissed the neck again.

"N-not anymore," his partner replied. "Let's...ha...let's do this already."

"Hmm." Shadow moved away and looked into his emeralds. They kissed, and as they did Shadow picked him up and walked to the bed. Once more Sonic found himself pinned to the bed but strangely this time he didn't mind. The two kissed a bit longer and then Shadow moved up, eyes half lidded.

"Huh...dé...déjà vu," Sonic panted.

"With a little twist," Shadow stated. His hands traveled down to Sonic's waist (making Sonic shiver and purr in pleasure all the way) and began to take off his pants and undergarments at the same time. Sonic's hand, meanwhile, traveled to Shadow's pants as well, but Shadow stopped it. "Ah, ah, ah," he said. "I'm in charge here. Just sit there and be a good boy."

Sonic huffed. "Can't I have some fun?" he asked with a smile.

"You will when I start taking care of you," Shadow replied. Sonic chuckled, but stopped and blushed when Shadow removed his own pants. "You're blushing again~ You sure you're ready?"

"Yes..." Sonic inhaled and exhaled. His eyes were half lidded and full of need as he said,

"Take me."

* * *

><p><strong>Hehe, funny story, next chapter is my first time writing a sex scene. Whoops, spoilers, but if you didn't see it coming from this chapter's ending well that's your own fault. <strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Take Me Away

I know some people don't like to read this kind of thing so here's a warning in big bold letters.

**LEMON SCENE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT KEEP SCROLLING! LEMON SCENE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT KEEP SCROLLING! LEMON SCENE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT KEEP SCROLLING! LEMON SCENE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT KEEP SCROLLING! Also, please be kind with the criticism. Like I said, first time writing this kind of thing.**

* * *

><p>An evil grin grew on Shadow's muzzle. He found it amusing that for someone who apparently didn't know much about the actions they were about to partake in was able to say the phrase "Take me". Then again, it could have been on instinct. After all, before there were stories, people just did it. "You sure?" the black hedgehog asked. Sonic nodded slowly. "Alright then. Close your eyes and relax." His partner did as he was told. Then, silently, Shadow covered three fingers with spit. "Relax," he repeated gently. He kept repeating that one word as his middle finger inched towards the waiting entrance.<p>

Sonic gasped at the sudden intrusion, and that seemed to snap him out of his submissive stated. "D-damn it, Shadow," he grunted as the dominate hedgehog moved his finger around. "Warn...warn me...next time."

"Sorry," he replied with a tone that really didn't sound sorry. "But unless you just want me to go in without preparing you, I could. I warn you, though, it would be very painful."

"Prepare?" Sonic repeated. "You mean...this isn't YOU inside?"

"Oh no, it's me. Just not the way you think." Sonic was about to say something else, but then Shadow did a "come here" motion with his finger. The blue hedgehog grunted. "Relax," Shadow said once more. It was hard to do, but Sonic did as best he could. Not long after, Shadow stopped movement. "Ready for a second?"

Sonic's eyes widened. "A-a second one? How...how many more do we have to go through?"

"I have to put in three," Shadow replied.

Sonic laid there, dumbfounded. But at the same time, for how much complaining he had done, in a strange way he had enjoyed it. Besides, this was leading up to the main act, and the blue hedgehog really wanted to play his part. "Alright," he said. "I'm ready."

"You sure?" his partner asked in a playful tone.

"Stop teasing me and get on with it!"

Shadow smirked. "As my prince wishes," he replied. And with that, finger number two went inside. Sonic gasped again, but he was a little more use to the feeling of something being inside. Of course, that didn't mean that reactionary tears didn't form when Shadow began to stretch him out a little by moving his fingers like scissors. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" the black hedgehog asked, noting the tears.

"No," Sonic whispered. "Just a reaction. I'm fine."

Another smirk. "Guess you're ready for three then?" Shadow didn't even let Sonic confirm this time as the last finger went in. Sonic was gasping and moaning as the fingers moved and curled. What kind of books was Shadow reading if he could do this with such ease? A thought that he wish he didn't have crossed his mind.

"Uh...Shads?"

"Hmm?"

"You...haven't done this before, right?"

Shadow stopped his movements but kept the fingers where they were. "Why would you think that?"

"It's just...you know exactly what you're doing, and I-"

"Sonic," his lover interrupted. "I've told you before, I've read books." He paused, and for the first time that night he actually looked embarrassed. "...Romance novels."

The blue hedgehog's eyes widened in shock and amusement. "YOU read romance novels?" he asked. He hadn't actually seen Shadow's book collection since he had always kept it hidden. Now he understood why.

"You dare make fun of me, and we stop," Shadow warned.

"Wasn't going to," Sonic lied. He could feel his member harden, and he didn't just want to leave it unattended. He had heard stories of those who did.

Let's just say they were painful.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now can we PLEASE move on."

The black one smiled evilly again. "Tell me, Sonic, how many fingers have I put in?"

"Three."

"So what comes next?" He didn't wait for an answer and pulled the digits out.

Sonic whined at the now empty feeling, only for his eyes to widen again and realize what would soon fill the void. "Uh...I...um..." He was cut off with his own sharp choking-on-air gasp as Shadow's tip slipped into his entrance. He moaned.

"Sonic?" Shadow asked, actually filled with concern since he thought he might have actually hurt the hedgehog underneath.

But the uke just looked at him with half-lidded eyes and a slight frown. "I'm...I'm fine," he reassured. "Just...please go slowly."

Shadow nodded. He began to move his hips slowly so that the Oltega prince could get use to the feel. When Sonic lifted his hand and moved it in a circle motion, the black hedgehog started to go faster. Then he hit the sweet spot. Sonic's eyes, which had been closed, flew open and he let out a scream. Shadow almost stopped, fearing he had hurt his lover, only for Sonic to moan something about how nice it felt. It turned out the blue hedgehog was finding it hard to form words, since his mind was filled with pleasure and he swore he was seeing stars. With confirmation that he could continue his "assault", Shadow started up again, and now the room was filled with moans from the two. Not to mention it was even hotter than before, making the two sweat, and that turned the dominant hedgehog on even more. And then, after what seemed like forever and yet at the same time all too soon, Sonic screamed Shadow's name out in what sounded like unexplainable torture and absolute bliss. Shadow felt something warm and sticky cover his chest, and soon after his own seed filled the blue hedgehog, who was now panting and moaning. His black lover let out a content sigh, pulled out of him, and then flopped down right beside him.

Sonic tried to figure out how the whole talking thing worked again, seeing as how his brain had basically been reduced to jelly. And when he finally found out how, his first word to escape was, "Fuck."

"We already did that, love," Shadow teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," Sonic replied dryly but jokingly. "But seriously, that was...that was good."

His mate chuckled, sounding tired. "Glad I was able to satisfy," he stated.

"You did more than that," Sonic told him as he rolled over and nuzzled the crook in between Shadow's neck and shoulder. "But next, I want to try being on top."

Shadow huffed as sleep began to take over. "You're on." That was the last thing they said before drifting off into a dreamless sleep, content smiles upon their muzzles.

**LEMON SCENE OVER YOU CAN START READING AGAIN! LEMON SCENE OVER YOU CAN START READING AGAIN! LEMON SCENE OVER YOU CAN START READING AGAIN! LEMON SCENE OVER YOU CAN START READING AGAIN! LEMON SCENE OVER YOU CAN START READING AGAIN! LEMON SCENE OVER YOU CAN START READING AGAIN!**

...

Shadow felt himself waking. He scrunched his eyelids and then slowly opened them. He moved his right hand up to his eyes to rub the sleep away. He turned his head and smiled to see Sonic sleeping peacefully. As the peach-colored chest moved up and down slightly, one part of Shadow wanted to just keep watching. The other, however, didn't want any of that. And apparently, Shadow felt like being a jerk today. "Come on, Sonic, time to get up," he said softly, although he wasn't actually sure what time it was. He began poking Sonic's cheek, which caused a moan in protest before eyelids opened halfway.

"Ass," Sonic mumbled. His partner just chuckled to this. Sonic stretched and then sat up. "I feel like washing up," he stated.

"May I come with?" Shadow asked.

"You can go into the bath with me, but no other coming for AT LEAST 48 more hours," Sonic warned.

Shadow laughed at that but knew his lover was serious. "Just going to wash your back and you wash mine like always," he informed. "No funny business, I promise."

"You better," was the threat. Both hedgehogs went into the bath and washed themselves and each other, and then afterwards picked out fresh clothes and picked up their discarded ones to dispose of in the hamper. With new clothes on they walked out the door, only to be met with their attendants and Lena. The young hedgehog looked very confused while the others had various looks, some annoyed and others amused.

"So..." Tails began. "Princess Lena tells me she had trouble sleeping last night because of...certain noises." Those last two words had such a venom in them that Sonic had never heard before.

Speaking of him, he currently had his head against the wall after pounding it with his skull once, and Shadow was looking down at the floor sheepishly. _Had we really been that loud? _they both asked themselves. "Did you boys have fun last night?" Rogue asked with a sly smile on her face.

_I knew going soft on them would be a bad idea, _Shadow hissed. He sighed. "And if we did?"

"The princess was actually very frightened last night," Espio informed. "She thought the castle was haunted."

"Rogue, what did you mean by my brothers 'having fun'?" Lena asked innocently.

Everyone looked at her. "Maybe when you're older," Knuckles finally said, breaking the silence. That only made the little girl more confused. Suddenly, the group heard an urgent banging coming from the princes' room. Lena quickly hugged Tails as she began shaking.

"The castle really is haunted!" she exclaimed.

"Lena, I don't think that's the case," Shadow told her.

"Come on, let's check it out," Sonic stated. He ran back, and the rest of the group followed him. They figured out where the sound was coming from: two figured were on the balcony, one looking very similar to a visitor who had only been there three nights prior.

"Prince Sonic, please open up!" came a desperate cry from Silver.

Sonic zipped over, drew the curtains, and opened the door once more to let his friend run in, now accompanied by Blaze. "Blaze, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked. "Actually, what are BOTH of you doing here?"

"Your father assigned her to accompany me whenever I had a message to deliver," the silver-white hedgehog replied as Sonic closed the door. "And we've got a message, an urgent one."

"Explain," Shadow commanded. Espio, sensing the atmosphere, closed the main door as Blaze began to speak.

"A group of Delphuis soldiers have invaded," the she-cat explained.

"WHAT?!" all those unaware exclaimed.

The lavender cat nodded. "We assume that they are looking for a Chaos Emerald as Prince Shadow informed us they were doing," she continued. "When they were found by one of our patrols, the invaders attacked and killed most of them, but not before their own members had dwindled. Soon back-up for the Delphs had arrived. Luckily one of our soldiers was sent as a messenger to inform King Julius, and he sent us to tell you that he believes the next course of action is to find more of them before your father does, Prince Shadow."

Shadow grunted at this information. Lena, still traumatized, shuddered. Tails hugged her to comfort her more, Espio looked troubled, Sonic looked worried, and Rogue and Knuckles had absolutely no idea what was going on. "There's one problem," Shadow stated. "I am not sending my sister out again, and I can't send anyone else. And it is not that I don't trust either of you, seeing as how you are both friends of Sonic, but I don't want to send either of you without some sort eye on you."

"I understand that," Silver piped up, "but that last options seems to be the only one! If we don't do something and do it fast, we could be seeing another war!"

"I know!" Shadow snapped. He sighed. "I know. But I just couldn't do that."

"Shadow..." Sonic said, his voice full of concern.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn," Rogue stated. "But I seem to be out of the loop here. As does Red." Quickly Shadow explained what his father had told him in the tunnels, and when he was done Knuckles was (understandably) furious, though Rogue seemed to be agitated as well.

"That bastard!" Knuckles exclaimed. He cleared his throat. "No offense," he said to Shadow.

"None taken," the prince replied.

"Well, I think that has made it clear that we can't just sit back and twiddle our thumbs," Rogue said.

Her prince sighed. "Like I said, I know, but I can't send any of you," he informed her. "That would make us all too suspicious-"

"Oh I believe you were already suspicious, Prince Shadow," an ominous voice rang as the door slowly opened, revealing King Lionel with guards at his wake. "It seems you did not heed my warnings, and now I think I'll carry out my punishments. Guards-"

"SILVER!" Sonic ordered. Not even a second passed by as his friend quickly used telekinesis to slam the door, lock it, and hold it when the guards tried forcing it down. Shadow blinked in amazement. His lover hadn't even given out a specific order, but the hedgehog already knew what to do. "Knuckles, hold the door for a moment and help Silver! Shadow, grab the emeralds! Everyone else, outside!" Shadow was amazed at how his mate, who was usually so laid back and carefree, could give orders so fiercely. Sonic had turned from the adorable hedgehog he saw sleeping this morning to a commanding leader in what seemed like a split second. Nevertheless, he opened up the compartment and took out the box while Knuckles and Silver (with his mind) held the door. Tails grabbed Lena and Rogue grabbed Espio. Blaze opened up the balcony door and allowed the fliers to carry their passengers out, grabbing onto Rogue's free hand as the bat passed. "Knuckles, hurry, take Shadow and glide to the others!" The echidna did as his prince commanded, and now the last two hedgehogs were backing up, with Silver still hold the door, although it was a little harder now without extra help.

"Man, if I knew this trip would mean I would become a fugitive I would have said, 'Pass!'," Silver stated, although the slight glint in his eye told Sonic he was somewhat enjoying it.

Sonic chuckled. "You, my friend, have been around me too much," he joked, and with that Silver telekinetically grabbed onto the blue hedgehog and quickly flew them to the group, who were waiting on the front castle grounds.

"Espio, we need you to lead us through the forest!" Shadow ordered. "Everyone stick together and watch each other's backs, understand?" The group nodded in unison. _Because I would do the same for them, _Sonic had told him his first night here._ That is trust. That is what loyalty is about. _Shadow smirked inwardly. _Loyalty, huh? Maybe being soft wasn't actually a bad idea. _The group of now fugitives began to make a break for the gates.

"Stop them!" one of the guards yelled. Many others began to run towards them, trying to cut off their escape.

"Blaze!" Sonic ordered. Once again, without clear orders, his subject used her ability: pyrokinesis. Shadow watched as a small flame formed in the cat's hand, which she then used to circle the group as they ran, pushing back any resistance since they feared getting burned. The blue hedgehog then noticed archers. "Shadow, think you can use your Chaos Spear?"

"With deadly accuracy," the black hedgehog replied with a smirk.

"WITHOUT killing them?"

A groan of protest. "_Fine._" He ran backwards look at the towers where their new foes laid. "Chaos Spear!" he shouted, firing the energy at the towers. They hit, causing a cloud of dust from the hit stone to form, effectively blinding the archers. With a ring of fire around them the group escaped and fled into the forest.

The king watched all of this from his son's former balcony and growled. "My liege, they seemed to have taken the emeralds with them," one of the guards reported.

"I would assume that seeing as how my son's filthy 'mate' told him to grab them!" Lionel barked. The guard flinched. "I would think before you speak, soldier. However, your stupidity is not of my concern at the moment. I want you to inform the captain to send his strongest men to find them, and find them quickly!" He growled again. "And I want them alive. I want the traitors and their friends to die slowly and painfully in front of the entire kingdom."

"Of course, my liege," the guard replied, not wanting to upset his king any further.

"Oh, and one more thing," Lionel stated as the guard got up to leave. "Get me the Hunters as well and inform them to meet with me at once."

Every guard in the room froze. It was clear the king was not fooling around if he was asking for them famed bounty hunters. "O-of course," the guard replied once more, no longer able to hide the nervousness in his voice. And with that the guards left the room to carry out orders.

...

"Espio, where exactly are you taking us?" Sonic asked. The group had stopped running a little while ago, and were now walking behind the attendant, who seemed very focused on finding a certain location.

The chameleon whacked a branch with his dagger. "I'm taking you to some old friends of mine," he replied. "We need supplies, but I highly doubt we can go into town. We can stay there until we have them and a plan."

"Are you sure your friends won't rat us out to the king?" Knuckles doubted.

"They won't, I can assure you to that," Espio promised. "But they are, admittedly...odd."

This was the first Shadow was hearing of this. "How often do you venture out to have friends out here?" the prince inquired.

Espio chuckled. "Shadow, my old friend..." And he disappeared using his camouflage. The group halted, waiting for him to come back. Seconds later, he reappeared. "You know I can slip anywhere undetected."

Shadow let out a 'hmph', but out of amusement. "I assume you meet them whenever you go into town?" he interrogated as they continued.

"Of course," was the swift reply. They walked a bit longer and found a wide, two-story wooden house. "Well, here they are." He walked up to the door and knocked twice. A moment later a red armadillo wearing a brown vest with a tan shirt underneath, brown pants, and black boots answered the door. And when he saw his purple chameleon friend he smiled.

"Espio!" the armadillo exclaimed. "It's been a while!"

"That it has, Mighty," Espio replied, also smiling. "May we come in? I need to talk to Vector. We have an urgent situation."

Mighty studied the group behind his friend, his eyes moving back and forth from scanning. "A party of eight, containing two of the royal family members and the Oltega prince," he noted. "Just looking at your group, my friend, tells me this is urgent." And he motioned them all inside. When everyone crowded in and closed the door, Mighty ran to the stairs. "Vector, we have company!" he shouted.

"Oh, company~?" a young voice sang back. A bee wearing a blue tunic quickly flew from the second story, followed by a yellow squirrel, who was also wearing a blue tunic and looked frantic. "Wow, lots and lots of company!" the bee exclaimed. He flew up to Shadow and began circling him. "So, what are you here for? Huh, huh?"

If this bee wasn't young, Shadow was sure he would hurtle him towards the nearest wall. But luckily he was able to control himself. And he also had some help. "Charmy," the squirrel stated with slight nervousness in his voice. He ran up and grabbed the bee Shadow was seriously ready to call "The Annoyance". "Show Prince Shadow some respect."

"Prince Shadow?" Charmy repeated. "Ooo, what's our prince doing here? Huh, huh?"

The black hedgehog was only seconds from losing it. "Why I-"

"Shadow," Sonic quickly interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. Shadow took a deep breath in and exhaled. Then there were some footsteps coming down the stairs.

"What is it, Mighty?" a crocodile asked. He was wearing a long black jacket, a blue shirt, tan pants, and black boots. He noticed their company. "Espio, what are you doing here?"

Espio looked at his prince, asking for permission to speak. Shadow gave it to him. So the attendant explained only what was needed. "Obviously, since we are branded as traitors, we can't go into town ourselves," he stated. "So I was hoping if you could get supplies for us."

"Sure," Vector replied.

"Ooo, ooo, I wanna come!" Charmy sang.

Rogue looked at the young bee. "Hate to be rude, kid, but I'm afraid you might accidentally give us away," she said.

Charmy looked crushed and was about to protest when Mighty piped up, "I believe our bat friend is right, Charmy. You and I can stay with them." _Oh, bundles of joy, _Shadow grumbled in his head.

"Ray, come with me and help," Vector stated. The squirrel nodded.

"If you could," Sonic began before the two left, "would you mind getting Shadow, Lena, and I more appropriate attire? And a sword or two would be nice as well."

The crocodile looked at the blue prince. "I'll see what I can do," he informed before he and his friend left, closing the door behind him.

"Good thing I was prepared," Silver boasted. He was wearing a black vest with gold trimming with a white long sleeve underneath, white pants, brown belts that held two small pouches to his hips, and his blue boots.

"Yeah, well, at least you had to do some adventuring which gave you an excuse," Sonic stated, rolling his eyes. "Shadow and I didn't exactly plan on becoming fugitives today."

"And just after you two had a nice night-" Shadow's hand quickly flew up to Rogue's mouth.

Silver blinked. "You two...actually..." he whispered to his friend. Sonic nodded sheepishly. "How was it?"

"It's...complicated," Sonic explained, a blush beginning to form. He really didn't want to say how amazing and pleasurable it felt in front of so many people.

"What did she mean?" Charmy asked innocently.

"When you're older!" everyone (minus Lena, who was just as curious) exclaimed.

As the group waited for the two to come back, they began forming a plan. "I believe top priority is to find the remaining emeralds," Blaze voiced.

"But shouldn't we go inform King Julius and Queen Aleena of what we're doing?" Tails asked.

"We can't afford to waste time," Shadow told him. "Father is already sending troops to invade your kingdom, so not only would it not be safe for us to travel through there, we also need to find the Chaos Emeralds as quickly as possible before he does."

Tails nodded sadly, but understood. "I can send a message," Silver said.

"You forget, Lord Silver, but you are now an enemy as well," Knuckles reminded. "Well...more of an enemy than you already were. They know your face and they wouldn't hesitate to capture you or worse."

"Knux is right," Rogue agreed. "I believe those who fled the castle should stick together."

"Then I can send a message," Mighty piped up. "I may not be as sneaky as Espio but I can still get around."

"I wanna come~ I wanna come~" Charmy sang.

"Too dangerous," the armadillo objected, shaking his head. "Besides, the king might become overwhelmed." Charmy let out a groan.

"Then with that settled, how do we find the rest?" Espio asked.

There was a shuffling of feet. "W-well," Lena began.

"What is it, Lena?" Sonic inquired.

The green hedgehog bit her lip, obviously still scared of what had taken place only a few nights ago. "Everything is alright, Princess," Silver soothed. "There is nothing to fear."

Lena nodded slowly. "I found the first one, the blue one, on accident," she explained. "And when I went to search for the yellow one, as soon as I got close, the blue one started glowing brighter."

"So they can detect one another," Tails mused.

"In a sense, we won't be going on a complete wild goose chase," Shadow said. "I say that's some good news, at least."

"So, do we stay in the kingdom?" Espio asked.

"As dangerous as is it, I believe we should for the time being," his prince answered. "Most of them have been found here so far. Mighty, might you have a map of the kingdom?"

"I'll get it!" Charmy exclaimed. He flew up to the second floor and came back moments later with a scroll in his hands. "See, see, we have one!"

"Open it," Shadow commanded softly. The bee spread it out, and Rogue and Mighty held on to the ends. "Lena, do you remember where you found the emeralds?"

His sister's eyes studied the map. "Does someone have a feather pen?" she asked. Blaze took over Mighty's position as said armadillo ran upstairs to get one. With pen in hand she drew out the route she had taken.

"So, the river banks have been completely searched," Shadow stated, noticing Lena had only gone up and down the river that snaked from the castle town to the mountains. "That leaves quite a bit of ground to cover, especially since we have no idea where Father found the red one." In truth, he was kind of nervous. He had barely even gone into town before, much less hiked and camped in the wilderness. And Lena's first time was her recent expedition in her other persona. Not to mention he didn't know if Silver would be able to handle this trip. Everyone else, however, didn't cause him much worry.

As the group let that sink in, the door flew open. They all jumped and instinctively went into defensive positions. "Whoa!" Vector exclaimed. "Remind me to never become a criminal. You guys are already jumpy."

Everyone quickly recovered. "You could have at least knocked!" Mighty shot back. "You even made ME jump out of my skin!"

"Not going to lie, Vector," Ray began, "you did kind of open the door without warning."

"Oh, suddenly I'm the bad guy, huh?" he questioned. "Even after I got everything you asked for, including the clothing and swords."

"Hey, it's cool," Sonic stated. "Sorry about that. Thank you for getting the supplies."

"You better be grateful," Vector grumbled. Wrong choice of words, as he was soon met with the peeved faces of Shadow, Tails, and Blaze.

"Mind your tongue," the three warned.

Soon after, the three royal hedgehogs got changed. Lena was given a light blue dress (though it was made of material that made mobility easy), brown boots, and a small brown pack that went around her waist. Sonic was sporting a red vest with a brown short underneath, brown gloves, his usual blue pants (the pair of pants Vector had gotten him didn't suit his tastes), and red-and-white boots. Shadow wore a black, yellow, red vest, his white gloves, grey pants, and white boots with red and yellow on them. Both princes were also given a belt to hold their sword sheaths and swords. "Wait, why can't I have a weapon?" Lena asked. "Everyone else had weapons and/or special powers! I want to be helpful, too!"

Mighty studied her. "I think I've got something," he stated. He rushed upstairs and came back with a sheath with a small dagger inside, a quiver full of arrows, and a bow. "These might do nicely."

Lena looked at the items. "Yeah, they're perfect!" she exclaimed. "I've been secretly practicing both of these...although, I guess it's not a secret anymore."

Shadow and Tails looked at her, eyes wide. "Lena, do you realize how dangerous and stupid that is!" her brother scolded.

"Well, aren't you at least somewhat happy since we're on the run?" the girl replied as she strapped the quiver around her.

The black hedgehog was about to retort when he realized she was right. He sighed. "Fair enough," he stated as Lena proceeded to wrap the belt that held the sheath around her waist.

"I think it's time we start moving then," Sonic said. "Can we take that map with us?"

"Of course," Vector replied. "You guys already wrote on it, anyways."

"Right." The blue prince rolled the map up. "We have the supplies?" Knuckles and Espio nodded. "Good, then I think it's time we leave."

"Thank you, my friends," Espio said.

"No problem," Mighty stated. "Good luck."

"Have a safe trip!" Charmy exclaimed as the fugitives left.

Shadow chuckled. "Smartest thing that kid said all day," he mumbled to himself. And the group disappeared further into the woods.

...

"You called, your majesty?" someone asked.

Lionel opened his eyes. He had his head resting on his hand, since he was sitting on his throne waiting for his guests to arrive. "Yes, I require your assistance," he stated.

"Give us the names and we will have their heads for you in no time," a second voice boasted.

"Actually, I want them alive," the king said. "I ask for you to find my traitorous son and daughter and their little group of friends."

The second voice whistled. "Here that, boss? Shadzy is in major trouble this time," he joked.

The first voice snickered. "We can finally pay him back for being rude to us," he replied.

"Make Prince Shadow go boom-boom!" a third voice chimed in.

"We are NOT going to kill him, understand, Bean?" the first voice snapped.

"Oh right, sorry, sorry!" the green duck responded cheerfully.

"We can discuss pay later," the king interrupted the little comical act before him.

Now the second voice snickered. "Your majesty, we do like the coins, but getting back at that no good prince is enough of a reward for me." He smiled wickedly and looked at his boss. "Right, Fang?"

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it, Scourge," the weasel replied. "I digress. We shall take our leave, your majesty." And the Hunters walked out. Well, Bean sort of _skipped _out of the room, if you could believe a ruthless bounty hunter could do such a thing. But the Hunters were feared for a reason. Fang used guns (with gun powder, not bullets), something even the army did not possess, and he wasn't called Fang the Gunner just for any old reason; he was as accurate with his shots as Shadow was with his Chaos Spears. Scourge was ruthless, a speed demon with no remorse. He listened to two people only, his boss and his king. And Bean was an expert in explosives, and though he had an upbeat personality, that was what caught the group's targets off guard.

The king smiled evilly in satisfaction as the bounty hunters left. "Enjoy your lives while you can, my children," he said to no one in particular. "My army and these hunters are a force not to be taken lightly."

But Lionel's arrogance made him forget one thing: the group they were chasing wasn't to be taken lightly, either.


End file.
